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ALASKA 

THE   GREAT   COUNTRY 


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THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO 
ATLANTA   •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

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THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


,^»/,..^-  A"^'-'"'-"i->  'i'i "j'Jj-' 


Phdti)  hy  E.  W.  Merrill,  Sitka 


CciiiitcNy  of  <i.  Kostromctinoff 


Alexander   Bakanoi  i- 


ALASKA 


THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 


BY 


ELLA   HIGGINSON 

AUTHOR    OF    "  MARIELLA,    OF    OUT-WEST,"    "  WHEN    THE 

BIRDS    GO   NORTH   AGAIN,"   "  FROM    THE    LAND 

OF   THE   SNOW-PEARLS,"    ETC. 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 
1908 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1908, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  November,  1908. 


JCnrfaooli  }^rtzs 

J.  S.  Gushing  Co.  —Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


Co 

MR.  AND  MRS.  HENRY  ELLIOTT   HOLMES 


FOREWORD 

When  the  Russians  first  came  to  the  island  of  Un- 
alaska,  they  were  tokl  that  a  vast  country  lay  to  the 
eastward  and  that  its  name  was  Al-ay-ek-sa.  Their  own 
island  the  Aleuts  called  Nagun-Alayeksa,  meaning  "  the 
land  lying  near  Alayeksa." 

The  Russians  in  time  came  to  call  the  country  itself 
Alashka ;  the  peninsula,  Aliaska ;  and  the  island,  Un- 
alashka.  Alaska  is  an  English  corruption  of  the  original 
name. 

A  great  Russian  moved  under  inspiration  when  he  sent 
Vitus  Behring  out  to  discover  and  explore  the  continent 
lying  to  the  eastward ;  two  great  Americans  —  Seward 
and  Sumner  —  wer.e  inspired  when,  nearly  a  century  and 
a  half  later,  they  saved  for  us,  in  the  face  of  the  bitterest 
opposition,  scorn,  and  ridicule,  the  country  that  Behring 
discovered  and  which  is  now  coming  to  be  recognized  as 
the  most  glorious  possession  of  any  people ;  but,  first  of 
all,  were  the  gentle,  dark-eyed  Aleuts  inspired  when  they 
bestowed  upon  this  same  country  —  with  the  simplicity 
and  dignified  repression  for  which  their  character  is  noted 
—  the  beautiful  and  poetic  name  which  means  "  the  great 
country." 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Alexander  Baranoff Frontispiece 

FACING   PAGE 

Alaska   (^colored  map) 1 

Copper  Smelter  in  Southeastern  Alaska   ....  2 

Kasa-an 9 

HOWKAN 16 

Distant  View  of  Davidson  Glacier 21 

Davidson  Glacier 36 

A  Phantom  Ship 41 

Road  through  Cut-off  Canyon 48 

Scene  on  the  White  Pass 53 

Steel  Cantilever  Bridge,  near  Summit  of  White  Pass  68 

Old  Russian  Building,  Sitka 73 

Greek-Russian  Church  at  Sitka 80 

Eskimo  in  Walrus-skin  Kamelayka 101 

Eskimo  in  Bidarka 116 

Railroad  Construction,  Eyak  Lake 121 

Eyak  Lake,  near  Cordova 128 

Indian  Houses,  CoRDf)VA 133 

Valdez 148 

An  Alaskan  Road  House 153 

Kow-Ear-Nuk  and  his  Drying  Salmon 160 

Steamer  "  Resolute  " 165 

"Obleuk,"  an  Eskimo  Girl  in  Parka 180 

A  Northern  IMadonna 185 

Eskimo  Lad  in  Parka  and  Mukluks 192 

Scales  and  Summit  of  Chilkoot  Pass  in  1898    .        .        .  197 

ix 


X  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING   PAGE 

Summit  of  Ciiilkoot  Pass  in  1898 212 

Pine  Falls,  Atlin 229 

Lake  Bennett  in  1898 244 

White  Horse,  Yukon  Territory 249 

Grand  Canyon  of  the  Yukon 256 

White  Horse  Rapids 261 

White  Horse  Rapids  in  Winter 276 

Steamer  "White  Horse"  in  Five-Finger  Rapids       .        .  293 

A  Yukon  Snow  Scene  near  White  Horse    ....  308 

A  Home  in  the  Yukon 32.5 

One  and  a  Half  Millions  of  Klondike  Gold    .        .        .  340 

A  Famous  Team  of  Huskies 357 

Cloud  Effect  on  the  Yukon 372 

"Wolf" 389 

Dog-team  Express,  Nome 404 

Four    Beauties   of    Cape    Prince   of    Wales    with    Sled 

Reindeer  of  the  American  Missionary  Herd     .        .  421 
Council   City  and   Solomon  River   Railroad  —  A  Char- 
acteristic Landscape  of  Seward  Peninsula       .        .  436 

Teller 4.53 

Family    of   King's    Island    Eskimos    living    under    Skin 

Boat,  Nome .  468 

Wreck  of  "Jessie,"  Nome  Beach 485 

Sunrise  on  Behring  Sea 500 

Surf  at  Nome 505 

Moonlight  on  Behring  Sea 512 


ALASKA 
THE   GREAT   COUNTRY 


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ALASKA:  THE  GEEAT  COUNTRY 


CHAPTER   I 

Every  year,  from  June  to  September,  thousands  of 
people  "go  to  Alaska."  This  means  that  they  take  pas- 
sage at  Seattle  on  the  most  luxurious  steamers  that  run  up 
the  famed  "  inside  passage  "  to  Juneau,  Sitka,  Wrangell, 
and  Skaguay.  Formerly  this  voyage  included  a  visit  to 
Muir  Glacier;  but  because  of  the  ruin  wrought  by  a  re- 
cent earthquake,  this  once  beautiful  and  marvellous  thing 
is  no  longer  included  in  the  tourist  trip. 

This  ten-day  voyage  is  unquestionably  a  delightful  one; 
every  imaginable  comfort  is  provided,  and  the  excursion 
rate  is  reasonable.  However,  the  person  who  contents 
himself  with  this  will  know  as  little  about  Alaska  as  a 
foreigner  who  landed  in  New  York,  went  straight  to 
Niagara  Falls  and  returned  at  once  to  his  own  country, 
would  know  about  America. 

Enchanting  though  this  brief  cruise  may  be  when  the 
weather  is  favorable,  the  real  splendor,  the  marvellous 
beauty,  the  poetic  and  haunting  charm  of  Alaska,  lie  west 
of  Sitka.  "  To  Westward  "  is  called  this  dream-voyage 
past  a  thousand  miles  of  snow-mountains  rising  straight 
from  the  purple  sea  and  wrapped  in  coloring  that  makes 
it  seem  as  though  all  the  roses,  lilies,  and  violets  of  heaven 
had  been  pounded  to  a  fine  dust  and  sifted  over  them ; 
past  green  islands  and  safe  harbors;  past  the  Malaspina 
and  the  Columbia  glaciers;  past  Yakutat,  Kyak,  Cordova, 
Valdez,  Seward,  and  Cook  Inlet;  and  then,  still  on  "to 
Westward "  —  past  Kodiak    Island,    where   the    Russians 


2  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

made  their  first  permanent  settlement  in  America  in  1784 
and  whose  sylvan  and  idyllic  charm  won  the  heart  of  the 
great  naturalist,  John  Burroughs  ;  past  the  Aliaska  Penin- 
sula, with  its  smoking  Mount  Pavloff ;  past  Unimak  Island, 
one  of  whose  active  volcanoes,  Shishaldin,  is  the  most  per- 
fect and  symmetrical  cone  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  not  even 
excepting  Hood  —  and  on  and  in  among  the  divinely  pale 
green  Aleutian  Islands  to  Unalaska,  where  enchantment 
broods  in  a  mist  of  rose  and  lavender  and  where  one  may 
scarcely  step  without  crushing  violets  and  bluebells. 

The  spell  of  Alaska  falls  upon  every  lover  of  beauty 
■who  has  voyaged  along  those  far  northern  snow-pearled 
shores  with  the  violet  waves  of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean 
breaking  splendidly  upon  them;  or  who  has  drifted  down 
the  mighty  rivers  of  the  interior  which  flow,  bell-toned 
and  lonely,  to  the  sea. 

I  know  not  how  the  spell  is  wrought;  nor  have  I  ever 
met  one  who  could  put  the  miracle  of  its  working  into 
words.  No  writer  has  ever  described  Alaska;  no  one 
writer  ever  will;  but  each  must  do  his  share,  according 
to  the  spell  that  the  country  casts  upon  him. 

Some  parts  of  Alaska  lull  the  senses  drowsily  by  their 
languorous  charm;  under  their  influence  one  sinks  to  a 
passive  delight  and  drifts  unresistingly  on  through  a 
maze  of  tender  loveliness.  Nothing  irritates.  All  is  soft, 
velvety,  soothing.  Wordless  lullabies  are  played  by  dif- 
ferent shades  of  blue,  rose,  amber,  and  green;  by  the  curl 
of  the  satin  waves  and  the  musical  kiss  of  their  cool  and 
faltering  lips;  by  the  mists,  light  as  thistle-down  and 
delicately  tinted  as  wild-rose  petals,  into  which  the 
steamer  pushes  leisurely ;  by  the  dreamy  poise  of  seabirds 
on  white  or  lavender  wings  high  in  the  golden  atmosphere; 
by  the  undulating  flight  of  purple  Shadow,  tiptoe,  through 
the  dim  fiords;  by  the  lap  of  waves  on  shingle,  the  song 
of  birds  along  the  wooded  shore,  the  pressure  of  soft  winds 


ALASKA:   THE  GEE AT  COUNTRY  3 

on  the  temples  and  hair,  the  sparkle  of  the  sea  weighing 
the  eyelids  down.     The  magic  of  it  all  gets  into  the  blood. 

The  steamer  slides  through  green  and  echoing  reaches; 
past  groups  of  totems  standing  like  ghosts  of  the  past 
among  the  dark  spruce  or  cedar  trees;  through  stone- 
walled canyons  where  the  waters  move  dark  and  still; 
into  open,  sunlit  seas. 

But  it  is  not  until  one  sails  on  "  to  Westward  "  that  the 
spell  of  Alaska  falls  upon  one;  sails  out  into  the  wild  and 
splendid  North  Pacific  Ocean.  Here  are  the  majesty,  the 
sublimity,  that  enthrall;  here  are  the  noble  spaces,  the 
Titanic  forces,  the  untrodden  heights,  that  thrill  and 
inspire. 

The  marvels  here  are  not  the  marvels  of  men.  They 
are  wrought  of  fire  and  stone  and  snow  by  the  tireless 
hand  that  has  worked  through  centuries  unnumbered  and 
unknown. 

He  that  would  fall  under  the  spell  of  Alaska,  will  sail 
on  "to  Westward,"  on  to  Unalaska;  or  he  will  go  Nortli- 
ward  and  drift  down  the  Yukon — that  splendid,  lonely 
river  that  has  its  birth  within  a  few  miles  of  the  sea,  yet 
flows  twenty-three  hundred  miles  to  find  it. 

Alaskan  steamers  usually  sail  between  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening  and  midnight,  and  throngs  of  people  congre- 
gate upon  the  piers  of  Seattle  to  watch  their  departure. 
The  rosy  purples  and  violets  of  sunset  mix  with  the  mists 
and  settle  upon  the  city,  climbing  white  over  its  hills;  as 
hours  go  by,  its  lights  sparkle  brilliantly  through  them, 
yet  still  the  crowds  sway  upon  the  piers  and  wait  for  the 
first  still  motion  of  the  ship  as  it  slides  into  the  night  and 
heads  for  the  far,  enchanted  land  —  the  land  whose  sweet, 
insistent  calling  never  ceases  for  the  one  who  has  once 
heard  it. 

Passengers  who  stay  on  deck  late  will  be  rewarded  by 
the  witchery  of  night  on  Puget  Sound  —  the  soft  fragrance 


4  ALASKA  :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

of  the  air,  the  scarlet,  blue,  and  green  lights  wavering 
across  the  water,  the  glistening  wake  of  the  ship,  the  city 
glimmering  faintly  as  it  is  left  behind,  the  dim  shores  of 
islands,  and  the  dark  shadows  of  bays. 

One  by  one  the  lighthouses  at  West  Point  on  the  star- 
board side,  and  at  Point-No-Point,  Marrowstone,  and  Point 
Wilson,  on  the  port,  flash  their  golden  messages  through 
the  dusk.  One  by  one  rise,  linger,  and  fade  the  dark  out- 
lines of  Magnolia  Bluff,  Skagit  Head,  Double  Bluff,  and 
Liplip  Point.  If  the  sailing  be  early  in  the  evening,  mid- 
night is  saluted  by  the  lights  of  Port  Townsend,  than 
which  no  city  on  the  Pacific  Coast  has  a  bolder  or  more 
beautiful  situation. 

The  splendid  water  avenue  —  the  burning  "Opal- Way" 
—  that  leads  the  ocean  into  these  inland  seas  was  named 
in  1788  by  John  Meares,  a  retired  lieutenant  of  the  British 
navy,  for  Juan  de  Fuca  (whose  real  name  was  Apostolos 
Valerianos),  a  Greek  pilot  who,  in  1592,  was  sent  out  in  a 
small  "  caravela  "  by  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  in  search  of 
the  fabled  "Strait  of  Anian,"  or  "Northwest  Passage"  — 
supposed  to  lead  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic  nortli  of 
forty  degrees  of  latitude. 

As  early  as  the  year  1500  this  strait  was  supposed  to 
have  been  discovered  by  a  Portuguese  navigator  named 
Cortereal,  and  to  have  been  named  by  him  for  one  of  his 
brothers  who  accompanied  him. 

The  names  of  certain  other  early  navigators  are  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  "  Strait  of  Anian."  Cabot  is 
reported  vaguely  as  having  located  it  "  neere  the  318  merid- 
ian, between  61  and  64  degrees  in  the  eleuation,  continuing 
the  same  bredth  about  10  degrees  West,  where  it  openeth 
Southerly  more  and  more,  until  it  come  under  the  tropicke 
of  Cancer,  and  so  runneth  into  Mar  del  Zur,  at  least  18 
degrees  more  in  bredth  there  than  where  it  began ; "  Fro- 
bisher ;   Urdaneta,  "  a  Fryer  of  Mexico,  who  came  out  of 


ALASKA  :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  5 

Mar  del  Zur  this  way  into  Germanie  ;"  and  several  others 
whose  stories  of  having  sailed  the  dream-strait  that  was 
then  supposed  to  lead  from  ocean  to  ocean  are  not  now 
considered  seriously  until  we  come  to  Juan  de  Fuca,  who 
claimed  that  in  his  "caravela  "  he  followed  the  coast  "vntill 
hee  came  to  the  latitude  of  fortie  seuen  degrees,  and  that 
there  finding  that  the  land  trended  North  and  North-east, 
with  a  broad  Inlet  of  Sea  between  47  and  48  degrees  of 
Latitude,  hee  entered  thereinto,  sayling  therein  more  than 
twenty  days,  and  found  that  land  trending  still  sometime 
Northwest  and  North-east  and  North,  and  also  East  and 
Southeastward,  and  very  much  broader  sea  then  was  at 
said  entrance,  and  that  hee  passed  by  diuers  Hands  in  that 
sayling.  And  that  at  the  entrance  of  this  said  Strait, 
there  is  on  the  North-west  coast  thereof,  a  great  Hedland 
or  Hand,  with  an  exceeding  high  pinacle  or  spired  Rocke, 
like  a  pillar,  thereupon." 

He  landed  and  saw  people  clothed  in  the  skins  of  beasts; 
and  he  reported  the  land  fruitful,  and  rich  in  gold,  silver, 
and  pearl. 

Bancroft  and  some  other  historians  consider  the  story  of 
Juan  de  Fuca's  entrance  to  Puget  Sound  the  purest  fiction, 
claiming  that  his  descriptions  are  inaccurate  and  that  no 
pinnacled  or  spired  rock  is  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity 
mentioned. 

Meares,  however,  and  many  people  of  intelligence  gave 
it  credence  ;  and  when  we  consider  the  differences  in  the 
descriptions  of  other  places  by  early  navigators,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  believe  that  Juan  de  Fuca  really  sailed  into 
the  strait  that  now  bears  his  name.  Schwatka  speaks  of 
him  as,  "An  explorer  —  if  such  he  may  be  called — who 
never  entered  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  and  wlio  owes 
his  immortality  to  an  audacious  guess,  which  came  so  near 
the  truth  as  to  deceive  the  scientific  world  for  many  a 
century." 


6  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

The  Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca  is  more  than  eighty  miles 
long  and  from  ten  to  twelve  wide,  with  a  depth  of  about 
six  hundred  feet.  At  the  eastern  end  it  widens  into  an 
open  sea  or  sound  where  beauty  blooms  like  a  rose,  and 
from  which  forest-bordered  water-ways  wind  slenderly  in 
every  direction. 

From  this  vicinity,  on  clear  days,  may  be  seen  the  Ol3'm- 
pic  Mountains  floating  in  the  west;  Mount  Rainier,  in  the 
south ;  the  lower  peaks  of  the  Crown  Mountains  in  the 
north ;  and  Mount  Baker  —  or  Kulshan,  as  the  Indians 
named  it —  in  the  east. 

The  Island  of  San  Juan,  lying  east  of  the  southern  end 
of  Vancouver  Island,  is  perhaps  the  most  famous,  and  cer- 
tainly the  most  historic,  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  is  the 
island  that  barely  escaped  causing  a  declaration  of  war 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  over  the 
international  boundary,  in  the  late  fifties.  For  so  small 
an  island,  —  it  is  not  more  than  fifteen  miles  long,  by 
from  six  to  eight  wide,  —  it  has  figured  importantly  in 
large  affairs. 

The  earliest  trouble  over  the  boundary  between  Van- 
couver Island  and  Washington  arose  in  1854.  Both  coun- 
tries claimed  ownership  of  San  Juan  and  other  islands 
near  by,  the  Oregon  Treaty  of  1846  having  failed  to 
make  it  clear  whether  the  boundary  was  through  the 
Canal  de  Ilaro  or  the  Strait  of  Rosario. 

I.  N.  Ebey,  American  Collector  of  Customs,  learning 
that  several  thousand  head  of  sheep,  cattle,  and  hogs  had 
been  shipped  to  San  Juan  without  compliance  with  customs 
regulations,  visited  the  island  and  was  promptly  insulted 
by  a  British  justice  of  the  peace.  The  Otter  made  her 
appearance  in  the  harbor,  bearing  James  Douglas,  gov- 
ernor of  Vancouver  Island  and  vice-admiral  of  the  British 
navy;  but  nothing  daunted,  Mr.  Ebey  stationed  In- 
spector Webber  upon  the  island,  declaring  that  he  would 


ALASKA :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  7 

continue  to  discharge  his  official  duties.  The  final 
trouble  arose,  however,  in  1859,  when  an  American  resi- 
dent shot  a  British  pig  ;  and  serious  trouble  was  precipi- 
tated as  swiftly  as  when  a  United  States  warship  was 
blown  up  in  Havana  Harbor.  General  Harney  hastily 
established  military  quarters  on  one  end  of  the  island, 
known  as  the  American  Camp,  Captain  Pickett  trans- 
ferring his  company  from  Fort  Bellingham  for  this  pur- 
pose. English  Camp  was  established  on  the  northern 
end.  Warships  kept  guard  in  the  harbors.  Joint  occu- 
pation was  agreed  upon,  and  until  1871  the  two  camps 
were  maintained,  the  friendliest  social  relations  existing 
between  them.  In  that  year  the  Emperor  of  Germany 
was  chosen  as  arbitrator,  and  decided  in  favor  of  the 
United  States,  the  British  withdrawing  the  following  year. 
Until  1895  the  British  captain's  house  still  stood  upon 
its  beautiful  bluff,  a  thousand  feet  above  the  winding  blue 
bay,  the  shore  descending  in  steep,  splendid  terraces  to 
the  water,  stairwayed  in  stone,  and  grown  with  old  and 
noble  trees.  Macadam  roads  led  several  miles  across  the 
island  ;  the  old  block-house  of  pioneer  days  remained  at 
the  water's  edge  ;  and  clustered  around  the  old  parade 
ground — now,  alas  !  a  meadow  of  hay — were  the  quar- 
ters of  the  officers,  overgrown  with  English  ivy.  The 
captain's  house,  which  has  now  been  destroyed  by  fire, 
was  a  low,  eight-roomed  house  with  an  immense  fireplace 
in  each  room  ;  the  old  claret-  and  ivory-striped  wall-paper 

—  which  had  been  brought  "around  the  Horn"  at  immense 
cost  —  was  still  on  the  walls.  Gay  were  the  scenes  and 
royal  the  hospitalities  of  this  house  in  the  good  days  of 
the  sixties.  Its  site,  commanding  the  straits,  is  one  of 
the  most  effective  on  the  Pacific  Coast  ;  and  at  the  present 
writing  it  is  extremely  probable  that  a  captain's  house 
may  again  rise  among  the  old  trees  on  the  terraced  bluff 

—  but  not  for  the  occupancy  of  a  British  captain. 


8  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

Every  land  may  occasionally  have  a  beautiful  sunset, 
and  many  lands  have  gorgeous  and  brilliant  ones  ;  but 
nowhere  have  they  such  softly  burning,  milky-rose, 
opaline  effects  as  on  this  inland  sea. 

Their  enchanting  beauty  is  doubtless  due  to  the  many 
wooded  islands  which  lift  dark  green  forestated  hills 
around  open  sweeps  of  water,  whereon  settle  delicate  mists. 
When  the  fires  of  sunrise  or  of  sunset  sink  through  these 
mists,  the  splendor  of  coloring  is  marvellous  and  not 
equalled  anywhere.  It  is  as  though  the  whole  sound  were 
one  great  opal,  which  had  broken  apart  and  flung  its 
escaping  fires  of  rose,  amethyst,  amber,  and  green  up 
through  the  maze  of  trembling  pearl  above  it.  The  un- 
usual beauty  of  its  sunsets  long  ago  gave  Puget  Sound 
the  poetic  name  of  Opal-Sea  or  Sea  of  Opal. 


CHAPTER   II 

After  passing  the  lighthouse  on  the  eastern  end  of 
Vancouver  Island,  Alaskan  steamers  continue  on  a  north- 
erly course  and  enter  the  Gulf  of  Georgia  through  Active 
Pass,  between  Mayne  and  Galiana  islands.  This  pass  is 
guarded  by  a  light  on  Mayne  Island,  to  the  steamer's  star- 
board, going  north. 

The  Gulf  of  Georgia  is  a  bold  and  sweeping  body  of 
water.  It  is  usually  of  a  deep  violet  or  a  warm  purplish 
gray  in  tone.  At  its  widest,  it  is  fully  sixty  miles  —  al- 
though its  average  width  is  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles 
—  and  it  rolls  between  the  mainland  and  Vancouver 
Island  for  more  than  one  hundred  miles. 

The  real  sea  lover  will  find  an  indescribable  charm  in 
this  gulf,  and  will  not  miss  an  hour  of  it.  It  has  the 
boldness  and  the  sweep  of  the  ocean,  but  the  setting,  the 
coloring,  and  the  fragrance  of  the  forest-bordered,  snow- 
peaked  sea.  A  few  miles  above  the  boundary,  the  Fraser 
River  pours  its  turbulent  waters  into  the  gulf,  upon  whose 
dark  surface  they  wind  and  float  for  many  miles,  at  sun- 
rise and  at  sunset  resembling  broad  ribbons  of  palest  old 
rose  crinkled  over  waves  of  silvery  amber  silk.  At  times 
these  narrow  streaks  widen  into  still  pools  of  color  that 
seem  to  float  suspended  over  the  heavier  waters  of  the 
gulf.  Other  times  they  draw  lines  of  different  color 
everywhere,  or  drift  solid  banks  of  smoky  pink  out  to 
meet  others  of  clear  blue,  with  only  the  faintest  thread  of 
pearl  to  separate  them.     These  islands  of  color  constitute 

9 


10         ALASKA:    THE  CHEAT  COUNTRY 

one  of  the  cliarras  of  this  part  of  the  voyage  to  Alaska  ; 
along  with  the  velvety  pressure  of  the  winds  ;  the  pic- 
turesque shores,  high  and  wooded  in  places,  and  in  others 
sloping  down  into  the  cool  shadowy  bays  where  the 
shingle  is  splashed  by  spent  waves ;  and  the  snow-peaks 
linked  above  the  clouds  on  either  side  of  the  steamer. 

Splendid  phosphorescent  disjjlays  are  sometimes  wit- 
nessed in  the  gulf,  but  are  more  likely  to  occur  farther 
north,  in  Grenville,  or  one  of  the  other  narrow  channels, 
where  their  brilliancy  is  remarkable. 

Tourists  to  whom  a  whale  is  a  novelty  will  be  gratified, 
without  fail,  in  this  vicinity.  They  are  always  seen 
sporting  about  the  ships,  —  sometimes  in  deadly  conflict 
with  one  another, —  and  now  and  then  uncomfortably  near. 

In  December,  1907,  an  exciting  battle  between  a  whale 
and  a  large  buck  was  witnessed  by  the  passengers  and 
crew  of  the  steamer  Cassiar,  in  one  of  the  bays  north  of 
Vancouver,  on  the  vessel's  regular  run  from  that  city  to 
northern  ports. 

When  the  Cassiar  appeared  upon  the  scene,  the  whale 
was  making  furious  and  frequent  attacks  upon  the  buck. 
Racing  through  the  water,  which  was  lashed  into  foam  on 
all  sides  by  its  efforts,  it  would  approach  close  to  its 
steadily  swimming  prey  and  then  disappear,  only  to  come 
to  the  surface  almost  under  the  deer.  This  was  repeated 
a  number  of  times,  strangely  enough  without  apparent 
injury  to  the  deer.  Again,  the  whale  would  make  its 
appearance  at  the  side  of  the  deer  and  repeatedly  endeavor 
to  strike  it  with  its  enormous  tail ;  but  the  deer  was  suf- 
ficiently wise  to  keep  so  close  to  the  whale  that  this  could 
not  be  accomplished,  notwithstanding  the  crushing  blows 
dealt  by  the  monster. 

The  humane  passengers  entreated  the  ca]3tain  to  go  to 
the  rescue  of  the  exhausted  buck  and  save  it  from  inevi- 
table death.     The  captain  ordered  full  speed  ahead,  and 


ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  11 

at  the  approach  of  the  steamer  the  whale  carved  np  out 
of  the  water  and  dived  gracefully  into  the  sea,  as  though 
making  a  farewell,  apologetic  bow  on  its  final  dis- 
appearance. 

Whereupon  the  humane  passengers  shot  the  helpless 
and  worn-out  buck  at  the  side  of  the  steamer,  and  he  was 
hauled  aboard. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  devote  a  few  pages  to 
the  average  tourist.  To  the  one  who  loves  Alaska  and 
the  divinely  blue,  wooded,  and  snow-pearled  ways  that 
lead  to  its  final  and  sublime  beauty,  it  is  an  enduring 
mystery  why  certain  persons  —  usually  women  —  should 
make  this  voyage.  Their  minds  and  their  desires  never 
rise  above  a  whale  or  an  Indian  basket ;  and  unless  the 
one  is  to  be  seen  and  the  other  to  be  priced,  they  spend 
their  time  in  the  cabin,  reading,  playing  cards,  or  telling 
one  another  what  they  have  at  home. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  one  of  these  women,  yawning  into 
the  full  glory  of  a  sunset,  "  we  have  sailed  this  whole  day 
past  Vancouver  Island.  Not  a  thing  to  be  seen  but  it 
and  this  water  you  call  the  Gulf  of  Georgia !  I  even 
missed  the  whales,  because  I  went  to  sleep,  and  Fd  rather 
have  seen  them  than  anything.  If  they  don't  hurry  up 
some  towns  and  totem-poles,  I'll  be  wishing  I'd  stayed  at 
home.     Do  you  play  five  hundred  ?  " 

The  full  length  of  the  Jefferson  was  not  enough  to  put 
between  this  woman  and  tlie  woman  who  had  enjoyed 
every  one  of  those  purple  water-miles ;  every  pearly 
cloud  that  had  drifted  across  the  pale  blue  sky  ;  every 
bay  and  fiord  indenting  the  shore  of  the  largest  island  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  ;  every  humming-bird  that  had  throbbed 
about  us,  seeking  a  rose  at  sea ;  every  thrilling  scent  that 
had  blown  down  the  northern  water-ways,  bearing  the 
far,  sweet  call  of  Alaska  to  senses  awake  and  trembling 
to  receive  it ;  who  had  felt  her  pulses  beating  full  to  the 


12  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

throb  of  the  steamer  tliat  was  bearing  her  on  to  the  land 
of  her  dreams  —  to  the  land  of  Far  Delight. 

If  only  the  players  of  bridge  and  the  drinkers  of  pink 
tea  would  stay  at  home,  and  leave  this  enchanted  voyage 
for  those  who  understand  !  There  be  enough  of  the  elect 
in  the  world  who  possess  the  usual  five  senses,  as  well  as 
that  sixth  sense  which  is  of  the  soul,  to  fill  every  steamer 
that  sails  for  Alaska. 

Or,  the  steamship  companies  might  divide  their  excur- 
sions into  classes  —  some  for  those  who  love  beauty,  and 
some  for  those  who  love  bridge. 

For  the  sea  lover,  it  is  enough  only  to  stand  in  the  bow 
of  a  steamer  headed  for  Alaska  and  hear  the  kiss  and  the 
rippling  murmur  of  the  waves  as  they  break  apart  when 
the  sliarp  cut-water  pierces  them,  and  then  their  long, 
musical  rush  along  the  steamer's  sides,  ere  they  reunite  in 
one  broad  wake  of  bowing  silver  that  leads  across  the 
purple  toward  home. 

The  mere  vibration  of  a  ship  in  these  still  inland  seas  is 
a  physical  pleasure  by  day  and  a  sensuous  lullaby  at  night; 
while,  in  summer,  the  winds  are  so  soft  that  their  touches 
seem  like  caresses. 

The  inlets  and  fiords  extending  for  many  miles  into  the 
mainland  in  this  vicinity  are  of  great  beauty  and  grandeur, 
many  winding  for  forty  or  fifty  miles  through  walls  of 
forestation  and  snow  that  rise  sheer  to  a  height  of  eight 
or  ten  thousand  feet.  These  inlets  are  very  narrow, 
sometimes  mere  clefts,  through  which  the  waters  slip, 
clear,  still,  and  of  deepest  green.  They  are  of  unknown 
depth ;  the  mountains  are  covered  with  forests,  over 
which  rise  peaks  of  snow.  Cascades  are  numerous,  and 
their  musical  fall  is  increased  in  these  narrow  fastnesses 
to  a  roar  that  may  be  heard  for  miles. 

Passing  Burrard  Inlet,  on  which  the  city  of  Vancouver 
is  situated,  the  more  important  inlets  are  Howe,  Jervis, 


ALASKA:    THE  GEE  AT  COUNTRY  13 

from  which  Sechelt  Arm  leads  southward  and  is  distin- 
guished by  the  wild  thunder  of  its  rapids  ;  Homery 
Channel,  Price  Channel,  which,  with  Lewis  Channel  on 
the  west,  forms  Redonda  Island  ;  Bute  Inlet,  which  is  the 
most  beautiful  and  the  most  important ;  Knight,  Seymour, 
Kingcome,  and  Belize  inlets. 

The  wild  and  picturesque  beauty  of  these  inlets  has 
been  praised  by  tourists  for  many  years.  The  Marquis  of 
Lome  was  charmed  hj  the  scenery  along  Bute  Inlet, 
which  he  extolled.  It  is  about  fifty  miles  in  length  and 
narrows  in  places  to  a  width  of  a  half-mile.  The  shores  rise 
in  sheer  mountain  walls,  heavily  forestated,  to  a  height  of 
seven  and  eight  thousand  feet,  their  snowy  crests  over- 
hanging the  clear,  green-black  waters  of  the  narrow  fiord. 
Many  glaciers  stream  down  from  these  peaks. 

The  Gulf  of  Georgia  continues  for  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  miles  in  a  northwesterly  direction  between  the 
mainland  and  Vancouver  Island.  Texada,  Redonda,  and 
Valdes  are  the  more  important  islands  in  the  gulf. 
Texada  appears  on  the  starboard,  opposite  Comox ;  the 
narrow  strait  separating  it  from  the  mainland  is  named 
Malaspina,  for  the  Italian  explorer.  The  largest  glacier 
in  the  world,  streaming  into  the  sea  from  Mount  St.  Elias, 
more  than  a  thousand  miles  to  the  northwestward  from 
this  strait,  bears  the  same  name. 

Texada  Island  is  twenty-eight  miles  long,  with  an 
average  width  of  three  miles.  It  is  wooded  and  moun- 
tainous, the  leading  peak  —  Mount  Shepard  —  rising  to 
»  height  of  three  thousand  feet.  The  lighthouse  on  its 
shore  is  known  as  "Three  Sisters  Light." 

Along  the  shores  of  Vancouver  Island  and  the  mainland 
are  many  ranches  owned  and  occupied  by  "remittance 
men."  In  these  beautiful,  lonely  solitudes  they  dwell  with 
all  the  comforts  of  "  old  England,"  forming  new  ties,  but 
holding  fast  to  old  memories. 


14  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

It  is  said  that  tlie  woman  who  should  have  one  day 
been  the  Queen  of  England,  lived  near  the  city  of  Van- 
couver a  few  years  ago.  Before  the  death  of  his  elder 
brother,  the  present  Prince  of  Wales  passionately  loved 
the  young  and  beautiful  daughter  of  Admiral  Seymour. 
His  infatuation  was  returned,  and  so  desperately  did  the 
young  couple  plead  with  the  present  King  and  the  Admiral, 
that  at  last  the  prince  was  permitted  to  contract  a  mor- 
ganatic marriage. 

The  understanding  and  agreement  were  that,  should  the 
prince  ever  become  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  England, 
neither  he  nor  his  wife  would  oppose  the  annulment  of  the 
marriage. 

There  was  only  one  brief  year  of  happiness,  when  the 
elder  brother  of  the  prince  died,  and  the  hitter's  marriage 
to  the  Princess  May  was  demanded. 

No  murmur  of  complaint  was  ever  heard  from  the  un- 
happy morganatic  wife,  nor  from  the  royal  husband  ;  and 
when  the  latter's  marriage  was  solemnized,  it  was  boldly 
announced  that  no  bar  to  the  union  existed. 

Here,  in  the  western  solitude,  lived  for  several  years  — 
the  veriest  remittance  woman  —  the  girl  who  should  now, 
by  the  right  of  love  and  honor,  be  the  Princess  of  Wales ; 
and  whose  infant  daughter  should  have  been  the  heir  to 
the  throne. 

To  Vancouver,  a  few  years  ago,  came,  with  his  princess, 
the  Prince  of  Wales.  Tlie  city  was  gay  with  flags  and 
flowers,  throbbing  with  music,  and  filled  with  joyous 
and  welcoming  people.  Somewhere,  hidden  among  thos^ 
swaying  throngs,  did  a  pale  young  woman  holding  a  child 
by  the  hand,  gaze  for  the  last  time  upon  the  man  she  loved 
and  upon  the  woman  who  had  taken  her  place  ?  And  did 
her  long-tortured  heart  in  that  hour  finally  break?  It  is 
said  that  she  died  within  a  twelvemonth. 

Passing    Cape    Mudge    lighthouse.  Discovery  Passage, 


ALASKA :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  15 

sometimes  called  Vakles  Narrows,  is  entered.  It  is  a  nar- 
row pass,  twenty-four  miles  long,  between  Vancouver  and 
Valdes  islands.  Halfway  through  it  is  Seymour  Narrows, 
one  of  the  most  famous  features  of  the  "  inside  route,"  or 
passage,  to  Alaska.  Passengers  are  awakened,  if  they 
desire,  that  they  may  be  on  deck  while  passing  through 
these  difficult  narrows. 

The  Indian  name  of  this  pass  is  Yaculta. 

"  Yaculta  is  a  wicked  spirit,"  said  the  pilot,  pacing  the 
bridge  at  four  o'clock  of  a  primrose  dawn.  "  She  lives 
down  in  the  clear  depths  of  these  waters  and  is  supposed 
to  entice  guileless  sailors  to  their  doom.  Yaculta  sleeps 
only  at  slack-tide,  and  then  boats,  or  ships,  may  slip 
through  in  safety,  provided  they  do  not  make  sufficient 
noise  to  awaken  her.  If  they  try  to  go  through  at  any 
other  stage  of  the  tide,  Yaculta  stirs  the  whole  pass  into 
action,  trying  to  get  hold  of  them,  Many's  the  time  I've 
had  to  back  out  and  wait  for  Yaculta  to  quiet  down." 

If  the  steamer  attempts  the  pass  at  an  unfavorable  hour, 
fearful  seas  are  found  racing  through  at  a  fourteen-knot 
speed  ;  the  steamer  is  flung  from  side  to  side  of  the  rocky 
pass  or  sucked  down  into  the  boiling  whirlpools  by  Yaculta. 
The  brown,  shining  strands  of  kelp  floating  upon  Ripple 
Reef,  which  carries  a  sharp  edge  down  the  centre  of  the 
pass,  are  the  wild  locks  of  Yaculta's  luxuriant  hair. 

Pilots  flgure,  upon  leaving  Seattle,  to  reach  the  narrows 
during  the  quarter-hour  before  or  after  slack-tide,  when 
the  water  is  found  as  still  and  smooth  as  satin  stretched 
from  shore  to  shore,  and  not  even  Yaculta's  breathing  dis- 
turbs her  liquid  coverlet. 

Many  vessels  were  wrecked  here  before  the  dangers  of 
the  narrows  had  become  fully  known:  the  steamer  Saranac, 
in  1875,  without  loss  of  life;  the  Wachusett,  in  1875;  the 
Grrappler,  in  1888,  which  burned  in  the  narrows  with  a 
very  large  loss  of  life,  including  that  of  the  captain ;  and 


16  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

several  less  appalling  disasters  have  occurred  in  these 
deceptive  waters. 

Three  miles  below  Cape  Mudge  the  tides  from  Juan  de 
Fuca  meet  those  from  Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  and  force  a 
fourteen-knot  current  through  the  narrows.  The  most 
powerful  steamers  are  frequently  overcome  and  carried 
back  by  this  current. 

Discovery  Passage  merges  at  Chatham  Point  into  John- 
stone Strait,  Here  the  first  Indian  village,  Alert  Bay, 
is  seen  to  starboard  on  the  southern  side  of  Cormorant 
Island.  These  are  the  Kwakiutl  Indians,  who  did  not  at 
first  respond  to  the  advances  of  civilization  so  readily  as 
most  northern  tribes.  They  came  from  their  original  vil- 
lage at  the  mouth  of  the  Nimpkish  River,  to  work  in  the 
canneries  on  the  bay,  but  did  not  take  kindly  to  the  ways 
of  the  white  man.  A  white  child,  said  to  have  been  stolen 
from  Vancouver,  was  taken  from  these  Indians  a  few  years 
ago. 

Some  fine  totem-poles  have  been  erected  here,  and  the 
graveyard  has  houses  built  over  the  graves.  From  the 
steamer  the  little  village  presents  an  attractive  api^earance, 
situated  on  a  curving  beach,  with  wooded  slopes  rising 
behind  it. 

Gorgeous  potlatches  are  held  here  ;  and  until  the  spring 
of  1908  these  orgies  were  rendered  more  repulsive  by  the 
sale  of  young  girls. 

Dr.  Franz  Boas,  in  his  "  Kwakiutl  Texts,"  describes  a 
game  formerly  played  with  stone  disks  by  the  Kwakiutls. 
They  also  had  a  myth  that  a  game  was  played  with  these 
disks  between  the  birds  of  the  upper  world  and  the  myth- 
people,  that  is,  "all  the  animals  and  all  the  birds."  The 
four  disks  were  called  the  "mist-covered  gambling  stone," 
the  "  rainbow  gambling  stone,"  the  "  cloud-covered  gam- 
bling stone,"  and  the  "carrier  of  the  world."  The  wood- 
pecker and  the  other  myth-birds  played  on  one  side ;  the 


ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  17 

Thunder-bird  and  the  birds  of  the  upper  air  on  the  other. 
The  contestants  were  ranged  in  two  rows;  the  gambling 
stones  were  thrown  along  the  middle  between  them,  and 
they  speared  them  with  their  beaks.  The  Thunder-bird 
and  the  birds  of  the  upper  air  were  beaten.  This  myth  is 
given  as  an  explanation  of  the  reason  for  playing  the  game 
with  the  gambling  stones,  which  are  called  kelse. 

The  Kwakiutls  still  play  many  of  their  ancient  and 
picturesque  gambling  games  at  their  potlatches. 

Johnstone  Strait  is  fifty-five  miles  long,  and  is  continued 
by  Broughton  Strait,  fifteen  miles  long,  which  enters 
Queen  Charlotte  Sound. 

Here  is  a  second,  and  smaller,  Galiana  Island,  and  on 
its  western  end  is  a  spired  rock  which,  some  historians 
assert,  may  be  "  the  great  headland  or  island  with  an  ex- 
ceeding high  pinnacle  or  spired  rock  thereon,"  which  Juan 
de  Fuca  claimed  to  discover,  and  which  won  for  him  the 
charge  of  being  an  "  audacious  guesser  "  and  an  "  unscru- 
pulous liar."  His  believers,  however,  affirm  that,  having 
sailed  for  twenty  days  in  the  inland  sea,  he  discovered 
this  pinnacle  at  the  entrance  to  what  he  supposed  to  be 
the  Atlantic  Ocean;  and  so  sailed  back  the  course  he  had 
come,  believing  himself  to  have  been  successful  in  discov- 
ering the  famed  strait  of  Anian.  Why  Vancouver's  mis- 
takes, failures,  and  faults  should  all  be  condoned,  and 
Juan  de  Fuca's  most  uncompromisingly  condemned,  is 
difficult  to  understand. 

Fort  Rupert,  on  the  northern  end  of  Vancouver  Island, 
beyond  Broughton  Strait,  is  an  old  Hudson's  Bay  post, 
situated  on  Beaver  Harbor.  The  fort  was  built  in  1849, 
and  was  strongly  defended,  troubles  frequently  arising 
from  the  attacks  of  Kwakiutl  and  Haidah  Indians.  Great 
potlatches  were  held  there,  and  the  chief's  lodge  was  as 
notable  as  was  the  "  Old-Man  House  "  of  Chief  Seattle. 
It  was  one  hundred  feet  long  and  eighty  feet  wide,  and 


18         ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

rested  on  carved  corner  posts.  There  was  an  immense 
wooden  potiatch  dish  that  held  food  for  one  hundred 
people. 

Queen  Charlotte  Sound  is  a  splendid  sweep  of  purple 
water;  but  tourists  do  not,  usuall}^,  spend  much  time  en- 
joying its  beauty.  Their  berths  possess  charms  that 
endure  until  shelter  of  the  islands  is  once  more  assured, 
after  the  forty  miles  of  open  exposure  to  the  swell  of  the 
ocean  which  is  not  always  mild,  notwithstanding  its  name. 
Those  who  miss  it,  miss  one  of  the  most  beautiful  features 
of  the  inland  voyage.  The  warm  breath  of  the  Kuro 
Siwo,  penetrating  all  these  inland  seas  and  passages,  is 
converted  by  the  great  white  peaks  of  the  horizon  into 
pearl-like  mist  that  drifts  in  clouds  and  fragments  upon 
the  blue  waters.  Nowhere  are  these  mists  more  frequent, 
nor  more  elusive,  than  in  Queen  Charlotte  Sound.  They 
roll  upon  the  sparkling  surface  like  thistle-down  along  a 
country  lane  —  here  one  instant,  vanished  the  next.  At 
sunrise  they  take  on  the  delicate  tones  of  the  primrose  or 
the  pinkish  star-flower  ;  at  sunset,  all  the  royal  rose 
and  purple  blendings ;  all  the  warm  fluslies  of  amber, 
orange,  and  gold.  Through  a  maze  of  pale  yellow,  whose 
fine  cool  needles  sting  one's  face  and  set  one's  hair  with 
seed-pearls,  one  passes  into  a  little  open  water-world 
where  a  blue  sky  sparkles  above  a  bluer  sea,  and  the  air 
is  like  clear,  washed  gold.  But  a  mile  ahead  a  solid  wall 
of  amethyst  closes  in  this  brilliant  sea;  and  presently  the 
steamer  glides  into  it,  shattering  it  into  particles  that  set 
the  hair  with  amethysts,  instead  of  pearls.  Sometimes 
these  clear  spaces  resemble  rooms  walled  in  different 
colors,  but  ceiled  and  floored  in  blue.  Other  times,  the 
whole  sound  is  clear,  blue,  shining;  while  exquisite  gossa- 
mers of  changeful  tints  wrap  and  cling  about  the  islands, 
wind  scarfs  around  the  green  hills,  or  set  upon  the  brows 
of   majestic  snow-monarchs  crowns   as   jewelled   and   as 


ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  19 

evanescent  as  those  worn  by  the  real  kings  of  the  earth. 
Now  and  then  a  lofty  fir  or  cedar  may  be  seen  draped  with 
slender  mist-veils  as  a  maiden  might  wind  a  scarf  of  cob- 
webby lace  about  her  form  and  head  and  arms  —  so  lightly 
and  so  gracefully,  and  with  such  art,  do  the  delicate  folds 
trail  in  and  out  among  the  emerald-green  branches  of  the 
tree. 

It  is  this  warm  and  excessive  moisture  —  this  daily 
mist-shower — that  bequeaths  to  British  Columbia  and 
Alaska  their  marvellous  and  luxuriant  growth  of  vegeta- 
tion, their  spiced  sweetness  of  atmosphere,  their  fairness 
and  freshness  of  complexion  —  blending  and  constituting 
that  indescribable  charm  which  inspires  one,  standing  on 
the  deck  of  a  steamer  at  early  dawn,  to  give  thanks  to  God 
that  he  is  alive  and  sailing  the  blue  water-ways  of  this 
sublime  country. 

"  I  don't  know  what  it  is  that  keeps  pulling  me  back  to 
this  country,"  said  a  man  in  the  garb  of  a  laborer,  one  day. 
He  stood  down  in  the  bow  of  the  steamer,  his  hands  were 
in  his  pockets,  his  throat  was  bared  to  the  wind  ;  his 
blue  eyes  —  sunken,  but  burning  with  that  fire  which 
never  dies  in  the  eyes  of  one  who  loves  nature  —  were 
gazing  up  the  pale-green  narrow  avenue  named  Grenville 
Channel.  "  It's  something  that  you  can't  exactly  put  into 
words.  You  don't  know  that  it's  got  hold  of  you  while 
you're  up  here,  but  before  you've  been  '  outside '  a  month, 
all  at  once  you  find  it  pulling  at  you  —  and  after  it  begins, 
it  never  lets  up.  You  try  to  think  what  it  is  up  here  that 
you  want  so  ;  what  it  is  keeps  begging  at  you  to  come 
back.  Maybe  there  ain't  a  darn  soul  up  here  you  care 
particular  about  !  Maybe  you  ain't  got  an  interest  in  a 
claim  worth  hens'  teeth  !  Maybe  you're  broke  and  know 
you'll  have  to  work  like  a  go-devil  when  you  get  here  ! 
It  don't  make  any  difference.  It's  just  Alaska.  It  calls 
you  and  calls  you  and  calls  you.     Maybe  j^ou  can't  come. 


20  ALASKA:    THE   GREAT  COUNTRY 

SO  you  keep  pretending  you  don't  hear  —  but  Lord,  you 
do  hear !  Maybe  somebody  shakes  hands  as  if  he  liked 
you  —  and  there's  Alaska  up  and  calling  right  through 
you,  till  you  feel  your  heart  shake  !  Maybe  a  phonograph 
sets  up  a  tune  they  used  to  deal  out  at  Magnuson's  road- 
house  on  the  trail  —  and  you  hear  that  blame  lonesome 
waterfall  up  in  Keystone  Canyon  calling  you  as  plain  as 
you  hear  the  phonograph !  Maybe  you  smell  something 
like  the  sun  shining  on  snow,  all  mixed  up  with  tundra  and 
salt  air — and  there's  double  quick  action  on  your  eyes 
and  a  lump  in  your  throat  that  won't  be  swallowed  down  ! 
Maybe  you  see  a  white  mountain,  or  a  green  valley,  or  a 
big  river,  or  a  blue  strait,  or  a  waterfall  —  and  like  a  flash 
your  heart  opens,  and  shuts  in  an  ache  for  Alaska  that 
stays  !  .  .  .  No,  I  don't  know  tohat  it  is,  but  I  do  know 
how  it  is ;  and  so  does  every  other  poor  devil  that  ever 
heard  that  something  calling  him  that's  just  Alaska.  It 
wakes  you  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  just  as  plain  as 
if  somebody  had  said  your  name  out  loud,  and  you  just  lay 
there  the  rest  of  the  night  aching  to  go.  I  tell  you  what, 
if  ever  a  country  had  a  spirit,  it's  Alaska  ;  and  when  it 
once  gets  hold  of  you  and  gets  to  calling  you  to  come, 
you  might  just  as  well  get  up  and  start,  for  it  calls  you 
and  follows  you,  and  haunts  you  till  you  do." 

It  is  the  pleading  of  the  mountains  and  the  pleading  of 
the  sea  woven  into  one  call  and  sent  floating  down  laden 
with  the  sweetness  of  the  splendid  spaces.  No  moun- 
taineer can  say  why  he  goes  back  to  the  mountains  ;  no 
sailor  why  he  cannot  leave  the  sea.  No  one  has  yet  seen 
the  spirit  that  dwells  in  the  waterfall,  but  all  have  heard 
it  calling  and  have  known  its  spell. 

"If  you  love  the  sea,  you've  got  to  follow  it,"  said  a 
sea-rover,  "  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it.  A  man  can  get 
along  without  the  woman  he  loves  best  on  earth  if  he  has 
to,  but  he  can't  get  along  without  the  sea  if  he  once  gets 


ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  21 

to  loving  it.  It  gets  so  it  seems  like  a  thing  alive  to  him, 
and  it  makes  np  for  everything  else  that  he  don't  have. 
And  it's  just  like  that  with  Alaska.  When  a  man  has 
made  two-three  trips  to  Alaska,  you  can't  get  him  off  on 
a  southern  run  again,  as  long  as  he  can  help  himself." 

It  is  an  unimaginative  person  who  can  wind  through 
these  intricate  and  diflicult  sounds,  channels,  and  passes 
without  a  strange,  quickened  feeling,  as  of  the  presence  of 
those  dauntless  navigators  who  discovered  and  charted 
these  waters  centuries  ago.  From  Juan  de  Fuca  north- 
ward they  seem  to  be  sailing  with  us,  those  grim,  brave 
spectres  of  the  past  —  Perez,  Meares,  Cuadra,  Valdes, 
Malaspina,  Duncan,  Vancouver,  Whidbey  —  and  all  the 
others  who  came  and  went  through  these  beautiful  ways, 
leaving  their  names,  or  the  names  of  their  monarchs, 
friends,  or  sweethearts,  to  endure  in  blue  stretches  of 
water  or  glistening  domes  of  snow. 

We  sail  in  safety,  ease,  luxury,  over  courses  along  which 
they  felt  their  perilous  way,  never  knowing  whether  Life 
or  Death  waited  at  the  turn  of  the  prow.  Nearly  a  cen- 
tury and  a  quarter  ago  Vancouver,  working  his  way  cau- 
tiously into  Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  soon  came  to  disaster, 
both  the  Discovery  and  her  consort,  the  Chatham,  striking 
upon  the  rocks  that  border  the  entrance.  Fortunately 
the  return  of  the  tide  in  a  few  hours  released  them  from 
their  perilous  positions,  before  they  had  sustained  any 
serious  damage. 

But  what  days  of  mingled  indecision,  hope,  and  despair 
—  what  nights  of  anxious  watching  and  waiting  —  must 
have  been  spent  in  these  places  through  which  we  glide 
so  easily  now ;  and  the  silent  spirits  of  the  grim-peopled 
past  take  hold  of  our  heedless  hands  and  lead  us  on. 
Does  a  pilot  sail  these  seas  who  has  never  on  wild  nights 
felt  beside  him  on  the  bridge  the  presence  of  those  early 
ones  who,  staring  ever  ahead  under  stern    brows,  drove 


22  ALASKA:    THE  Gil  EAT  COUNTRY 

their  vessels  on,  not  knowing  what  perils  lay  beyond  ? 
Who,  asked,  "  What  shall  we  do  when  hope  be  gone  ? " 
made  answer,  "  Why,  sail  on,  and  on,  and  on." 

From  Queen  Charlotte  Sound  the  steamer  passes  into 
Fitzhugh  Sound  around  Cape  Calvert,  on  Calvert  Island. 
Off  the  southern  point  of  this  island  are  two  dangerous 
clusters  of  rocks,  to  which,  in  1776,  by  Mr.  James  Hanna, 
were  given  the  interesting  names  of  "Virgin  "  and  "  Pearl." 
In  this  poetic  vicinage,  and  nearer  the  island  than  either,  is 
another  cluster  of  rocks,  upon  which  some  bold  and  sacri- 
legious navigator  has  bestowed  the  name  of  "  Devil." 

"  It  don't  sound  so  pretty  and  ladylike,"  said  the  pilot 
who  pointed  them  out,  "  but  it's  a  whole  lot  more  appro- 
priate. Rocks  are  devils  —  and  that's  no  joke;  and  what 
anybody  should  go  and  name  them  '  virgins  '  and  '  pearls  ' 
for,  is  more  than  a  man  can  see,  when  he's  standing  at  a 
wheel,  hell-bent  on  putting  as  many  leagues  between  him 
and  them  as  he  can.  It  does  seem  as  if  some  men  didn't 
have  any  sense  at  all  about  naming  things.  Now,  if  I 
were  going  to  name  anything  '  virgin  '  "  —  his  blue  eyes 
narrowed  as  they  stared  into  the  distance  ahead  — "  it 
would  be  a  mountain  that's  always  white  ;  or  a  bay  that 
gets  the  first  sunshine  in  the  morning ;  or  one  of  those 
little  islands  down  in  Puget  Sound  that's  just  covered  with 
flowers." 

Just  inside  Fitzhugh  Sound,  on  the  island,  is  Safety 
Cove,  or  Oatsoalis,  which  was  named  by  Mr.  Duncan  in 
1788,  and  which  has  ever  since  been  known  as  a  safe 
anchorage  and  refuge  for  ships  in  storm.  Vancouver, 
anchoring  there  in  1792,  found  the  shores  to  be  bold  and 
steep,  the  water  from  twenty-three  to  thirty  fathoms, 
with  a  soft,  muddy  bottom.  Their  ships  were  steadied 
with  hawsers  to  the  trees.  They  found  a  small  beach, 
near  which  was  a  stream  of  excellent  water  and  an  abun- 


ALASKA:    THE  GREAT   COUNTRY  23 

dance  of  wood.  Vessels  lie  here  at  anchor  when  storms 
or  fogs  render  the  passage  across  Queen  Charlotte  Sound 
too  perilous  to  be  undertaken. 

Fitzhugh  Sound  is  but  a  slender,  serene  water-way  run- 
ning directly  northward  thirty  miles.  On  its  west,  lying 
parallel  with  the  mainland,  are  the  islands  of  Calvert, 
Hecate,  Nalau,  and  Hunter,  separated  by  the  passages  of 
Kwakshua,  Hakai,  and  Nalau,  which  connect  Fitzhugh 
with  the  wide  sweep  of  Hecate  Strait. 

Burke  Channel,  the  second  link  in  the  exquisite  water 
chain  that  winds  and  loops  in  a  northwesterly  course  be- 
tween the  islands  of  the  Columbian  and  the  Alexander 
archipelagoes  and  the  mainland  of  British  Columbia  and 
Alaska,  is  scarcely  entered  by  the  Alaskan  steamer  ere  it 
turns  again  into  Fisher  Channel,  and  from  this,  westward, 
into  the  short,  very  narrow,  but  most  beautiful  Lama  Pass. 

From  Burke  Channel  several  ribbonlike  passages  form 
King  Island. 

Lama  Pass  is  more  luxuriantly  wooded  than  many  of  the 
others,  and  is  so  still  and  narrow  that  the  reflections  of  the 
trees,  growing  to  the  water's  edge,  are  especially  attractive. 
Very  effective  is  the  graveyard  of  the  Bella  Bella  Indians, 
in  its  dark  forest  setting,  many  totems  and  curious  archi- 
tectures of  the  dead  showing  plainly  from  the  steamer 
when  an  obliging  captain  passes  under  slow  bell.  Near 
by,  on  Campbell  Island,  is  the  village  of  the  Bella  Bellas, 
who,  with  the  Tsimpsians  and  the  Alert  Bay  Indians,  were 
formerly  regarded  as  the  most  treacherous  and  murderous 
Indians  of  the  Northwest  Coast.  Now,  however,  they  are 
gathered  into  a  model  village,  whose  houses,  church, 
school,  and  stores  shine  white  and  peaceful  against  a  dark 
background. 

Lama  Pass  is  one  of  the  most  poetic  of  Alaskan  water- 
ways. 

Seaforth  Channel  is  the  dansrerous  reach  leadinor  into 


24         ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

Millbank  Sound.  It  is  broken  by  rocks  and  reefs,  on  one 
of  which,  Rejetta  Reef,  the  Willapa  was  stranded  ten 
years  ago.  Running  off  Seaforth  and  Millbank  are  some 
of  the  finest  fiords  of  the  inland  passage  —  Spiller,  John- 
ston, Dean,  EUerslie,  and  Portlock  channels,  Cousins  and 
Cascades  inlets,  and  many  others.  Dean  and  Cascades 
channels  are  noted  for  many  waterfalls  of  wonderful 
beauty.  The  former  is  ten  miles  long  and  half  a  mile 
wide.  Cascades  Inlet  extends  for  the  same  distance  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  opening  into  Dean.  Innumer- 
able cataracts  fall  sheer  and  foaming  down  their  great 
precipices ;  the  narrow  canyons  are  filled  with  their 
musical,  liquid  thunder,  and  the  prevailing  color  seems 
to  be  palest  green,  reflected  from  the  color  of  the  water 
underneath  the  beaded  foam.  Vancouver  visited  these 
canals  and  named  them  in  1793,  and  although,  seemingly, 
but  seldom  moved  by  beauty,  was  deeply  impressed  by  it 
here.  He  considered  the  cascades  "  extremely  grand,  and 
by  much  the  largest  and  most  tremendous  we  had  ever 
beheld,  their  imj)etuosity  sending  currents  of  air  across 
the  canal." 

These  fiords  are  walled  to  a  great  height,  and  are  of 
magnificent  beauty.  Some  are  so  narrow  and  so  deep 
that  the  sunlight  penetrates  only  for  a  few  hours  each 
day,  and  eternal  mist  and  twilight  fill  the  spaces.  In 
others,  not  disturbed  by  cascades,  the  waters  are  as  clear 
and  smooth  as  glass,  and  the  stillness  is  so  profound  that 
one  can  hear  a  cone  fall  upon  the  water  at  a  distance  of 
many  yards.  Covered  with  constant  moisture,  the  vegeta- 
tion is  of  almost  tropic  luxuriance.  In  the  shade,  the 
huge  leaves  of  the  devil's-club  seem  to  float,  suspended, 
upon  the  air,  drooping  slightly  at  the  edges  when  touched 
by  the  sun.  Raspberries  and  salmon-berries  grow  to 
enormous  size,  but  are  so  fragile  and  evanescent  that  they 
are  gone  at  a  breath,  and  the  most  delicate  care  must  be 


ALASKA  :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  25 

exercised  in  securing  them.  They  tremble  for  an  instant 
between  the  tongue  and  the  palate,  and  are  gone,  leaving 
a  sensation  as  of  dewdrops  flavored  with  wine  ;  a  memory 
as  haunting  and  elusive  as  an  exquisite  desire  known  once 
and  never  known  again. 

In  Dean  Canal,  Vancouver  found  the  water  almost 
fresh  at  low  tide,  on  account  of  the  streams  and  cascades 
pouring  into  it. 

There  he  found,  also,  a  remarkable  Indian  habitation ; 
a  square,  large  platform  built  in  a  clearing,  thirty  feet 
above  the  ground.  It  was  supported  by  several  uprights 
and  had  no  covering,  but  a  fii'e  was  burning  upon  one  end 
of  it. 

In  Cascade  Canal  he  visited  an  Indian  village,  and 
found  the  construction  of  the  houses  there  very  curious. 
They  apparently  backed  straight  into  a  high,  perpendicu- 
lar rock  cliff,  which  supported  their  rears ;  while  the 
fronts  and  sides  were  sustained  by  slender  poles  about 
eighteen  feet  in  height. 

Vancouver  leaves  the  method  of  reaching  the  entrances 
to  these  houses  to  the  reader's  imagination. 

It  was  in  this  vicinity  that  Vancouver  first  encountered 
"  split-lipped  "  ladies.  Although  he  had  grown  accustomed 
to  distortions  and  mutilations  among  the  various  tribes 
he  had  visited,  he  was  quite  unprepared  for  the  repulsive 
style  which  now  confronted  him. 

A  horizontal  incision  was  made  about  three-tenths  of 
an  inch  below  the  upper  part  of  the  lower  lip,  extending 
from  one  corner  of  the  mouth  to  the  other,  entirely 
through  the  flesh  ;  this  oritice  was  then  by  degrees 
stretched  sufficiently  to  admit  an  ornament  made  of  wood, 
which  was  confined  close  to  the  gums  of  the  lower  jaws, 
and  whose  external  surface  projected  horizontally. 

These  wooden  ornaments  were  oval,  and  resembled  a 
small  platter,  or  dish,  made  concave  on  both  sides  ;  they 


26         ALASKA:    THE   GREAT  COUNTRY 

were  of  various  lengths,  tlie  smallest  about  two  inches  and 
a  half ;  the  largest  more  than  three  inches  long,  and  an 
inch  and  a  half  broad. 

They  were  about  one-fifth  of  an  inch  thick,  and  had  a 
groove  along  the  middle  of  the  outside  edge  to  receive 
the  lip. 

These  hideous  things  were  made  of  fir,  and  were  highly- 
polished.  Ladies  of  the  greatest  distinction  wore  the 
largest  labrets.  The  size  also  increased  with  age.  They 
have  been  described  by  Vancouver,  Cook,  Lisiansky,  La 
Perouse,  Dall,  Schwatka,  Emmans,  and  too  many  others 
to  name  here  ;  but  no  description  can  quite  picture  them 
to  the  liveliest  imagination.  When  the  ''  wooden  trough  " 
was  removed,  the  incision  gave  the  appearance  of  two 
mouths. 

All  chroniclers  unite  as  to  the  hideousness  and  repulsive- 
ness  of  the  practice. 

Of  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  Fisher  Channel,  Van- 
couver remarks,  without  a  glimmer  of  humor  himself, 
that  the  vivacity  of  their  countenance  indicated  a  lively 
genius ;  and  that,  from  their  frequent  bursts  of  laughter, 
it  would  appear  that  they  were  great  humorists,  for  their 
mirth  was  not  confined  to  their  own  people,  but  was  fre- 
quently at  the  expense  of  his  party.  They  seemed  a 
happy,  cheerful  people.  This  is  an  inimitable  English 
touch ;  a  thing  that  no  American  would  have  written, 
save  with  a  laugh  at  himself. 

Poison  Cove  in  Mussel  Canal,  or  Portlock  Canal,  was 
so  named  by  Vancouver,  whose  men  ate  roasted  mussels 
there.  Several  were  soon  seized  with  numbness  of  the 
faces  and  extremities.  In  spite  of  all  that  was  done  to 
relieve  their  sufferings,  one  —  John  Carter  —  died  and 
was  buried  in  a  quiet  bay  which  was  named  for  him. 

Millbank  Sound,  named  by  Mr.  Duncan  before  Van- 
couver's arrival,  is  open  to  the  ocean,  but  there  is  only 


ALASKA:   THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  27 

an  hour's  run  before  the  shelter  of  the  islands  is  regained  ; 
so  that,  even  when  the  weather  is  rough,  but  slight  dis- 
comfort is  experienced  by  the  most  susceptible  passengers. 
The  finest  scenery  on  the  regular  steamer  route,  until  the 
great  snow  fields  and  glaciers  are  reached,  is  considered 
by  many  well  acquainted  with  the  route,  to  lie  from  Mill- 
bank  on  to  Dixon  Entrance.  The  days  are  not  long 
enough  now  for  all  the  beauty  that  weighs  upon  the  senses 
like  caresses.  At  evening,  the  sunset,  blooming  like  a 
rose  upon  these  splendid  reaches,  seems  to  drop  perfumed 
petals  of  color,  until  the  still  air  is  pink  with  them,  and 
the  steamer  pushes  them  aside  as  it  glides  through  with 
faint  throbbings  that  one  feels  rather  than  hears. 

Through  Finlayson  Channel,  Heikish  Narrows,  Graham, 
Eraser,  and  McKay  reaches,  Grenville  Channel,  —  through 
all  these  enchanting  water  avenues  one  drifts  for  two 
hundred  miles,  passing  from  one  reach  to  another  without 
suspecting  the  change,  unless  familiar  with  the  route,  and 
so  close  to  the  wooded  shores  that  one  is  tormented  with 
the  desire  to  reach  out  one's  hand  and  strip  the  cool  green 
spruce  and  cedar  needles  from  the  drooping  branches. 

Each  water-way  has  its  own  distinctive  features.  In 
Finlayson  Channel  the  forestation  is  a  solid  mountain  of 
green  on  each  side,  growing  down  to  the  water  and  ex- 
tending over  it  in  feathery,  flat  sprays.  Here  the  reflec- 
tions are  so  brilliant  and  so  true  on  clear  days,  that  the 
dividing  line  is  not  perceptible  to  the  vision.  The  moun- 
tains rise  sheer  from  the  water  to  a  great  height,  with 
snow  upon  their  crests  and  occasional  cataracts  foaming 
musically  down  their  fissures.  Helmet  Mountain  stands 
on  the  port  side  of  the  channel,  at  the  entrance. 

There's  something  about  "  Sarah "  Island !  I  don't 
know  what  it  is,  and  none  of  the  mariners  with  whom  I 
discussed  this  famous  island  seems  to  know;  but  the  fact 
remains  that  they  are  all  attached  to  "Sarah." 


28  ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

Down  in  Lama  Pass,  or  possibly  in  Fitzlmgh  Sound,  one 
hears  casual  mention  of  "  Sarah "  in  the  pilot-house  or 
chart-room.  Questioned,  they  do  not  seem  to  be  able  to 
name  any  particular  feature  that  sets  her  apart  from  the 
other  islands  of  this  run. 

"Well,  there  she  is!"  exclaimed  the  captain,  at  last. 
"Now,  you'll  see  for  yourself  what  there  is  about  Sarah." 

It  is  a  long,  narrow  island,  lying  in  the  northern  end  of 
Finlayson  Channel.  Tolmie  Channel  lies  between  it  and 
Princess  Royal  Island;  Heikish  Narrows  —  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  wide  —  between  it  and  Roderick  Island.  Through 
Heikish  the  steamer  passes  into  the  increasing  beauty  of 
Graham  Reach. 

"Now,  there!  "  said  the  captain.  "If  3^ou  can  tell  me 
what  there  is  about  that  island,  you  can  do  more  than  any 
skipper  /know  can  do;  but  just  the  same,  there  isn't  one 
of  us  that  doesn't  look  forward  to  passing  Sarah,  that 
doesn't  give  her  particular  attention  while  we  are  passing, 
and  look  back  at  her  after  we're  in  Graham  Reach.  She 
isn't  so  little  .  .  .  nor  so  big.  .  .  .  The  Lord  knows  she 
isn't  so  pretty !  "  He  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
burst  out  suddenly:  "I'm  blamed  if  Z  know  what  it  is! 
But  it's  just  so  with  some  women.  There's  something 
about  a  woman,  now  and  then,  and  a  man  can't  tell,  to  save 
his  soul,  what  it  is;  only,  he  doesn't  forget  her.  You  see, 
a  captain  meets  hundreds  of  women;  and  he  has  to  be 
nice  to  every  one.  If  he  is  smart,  he  can  make  every 
woman  think  she  is  just  running  the  ship  —  but  Lord!  he 
wouldn't  know  one  of  them  if  he  met  her  next  week  on 
the  street  .  .  .  only  now  and  then  ...  in  years  and 
years  .  .  .  one!  And  that  one  he  can't  forget.  He 
doesn't  know  what  there  is  about  her,  any  more  than  he 
knows  what  there  is  about  'Sarah.'  Maybe  he  doesn't 
know  the  color  of  her  eyes  nor  the  color  of  her  hair. 
Maybe  she's  married,  and  maybe  she's  single  —  for  that 


ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  29 

isn't  it.  He  isn't  in  love  with  her  —  at  least  I  guess  he 
isn't.  It's  just  that  she  has  a  way  of  coming  back  to  him. 
Say  he  sees  the  Northern  Lights  along  about  midnight  — 
and  that  woman  comes  like  a  flash  and  stands  there  with 
him.  After  a  while  it  gets  to  be  a  habit  with  him  when 
he  gets  into  a  port,  to  kind  of  look  over  the  crowds  for 
some  one.  For  a  minute  or  two  he  feels  almost  as  if  he 
expected  some  one  to  meet  him ;  then  he  knows  he's  dis- 
appointed about  somebody  not  being  there.  He  asks 
himself  right  out  who  it  is.  And  all  at  once  he  remem- 
bers. Then  he  calls  himself  an  ass.  If  she  was  the  kind 
of  woman  that  runs  to  docks  to  see  boats  come  in,  he'd 
laugh  and  gas  with  her  —  but  he  wouldn't  be  thinking  of 
her  till  she  pushed  herself  on  him  again." 

The  captain  sighed  unconsciously,  and  taking  down  a 
chart  from  the  ceiling,  spread  it  out  upon  a  shelf  and  bent 
over  it.  I  looked  at  Sarah,  with  her  two  lacy  cascades 
falling  like  veils  from  her  crown  of  snow.  Already  she 
was  fading  in  the  distance  —  yet  how  distinguished  was 
she!     How  set  apart  from  all  others! 

Then  I  fell  to  thinking  of  the  women.  What  kind  are 
they  —  the  ones  that  stay!  The  one  that  comes  at  mid- 
night and  stands  silent  beside  a  man  when  he  sees  the 
Northern  Lights,  even  though  he  is  not  in  love  with  her 
—  what  kind  of  woman  is  she  ? 

"  Captain,"  I  said,  a  little  later,  "•  I  want  to  add  some- 
thing to  Sarah's  name." 

"  What  is  it?  "  said  he,  scowling  over  the  chart. 

"  I  want  to  name  her  '  Sarah,  the  Remembered.''  " 

He  smiled. 

"All  right,"  said  he,  promptly.  "I'll  write  that  on  the 
chart." 

And  what  an  epitaph  that  would  be  for  a  woman  — 
"The  Remembered!  "  If  one  only  knew  upon  whose  bit 
of  marble  to  grave  it. 


30         ALASKA:    THE  GREAT   COUNTRY 

Fraser  and  McKay  reaches  follow  Graham,  and  then  is 
entered  Wright  Sound,  a  body  of  water  of  great,  and 
practically  unknown,  depth.  This  small  sound  feeds  six 
channels  leading  in  different  directions,  one  of  which  — 
Verney  Pass  —  leads  through  Boxer  Reach  into  the  famed 
magnificence  and  splendor  of  Gardner  Canal,  whose  waters 
push  for  fifty  miles  through  dark  and  towering  walls. 
An  immense,  glaciered  mountain  extends  across  the  end 
of  the  canal. 

Gardner  Canal  —  named  by  Vancouver  for  Admiral  Sir 
Alan  Gardner,  to  whose  friendship  and  recommendation 
he  was  indebted  for  the  command  of  the  expedition  to 
Nootka  and  the  Northwest  Coast  —  is  doubtless  the  grand- 
est of  British  Columbian  inlets  or  fiords.  At  last,  the 
favorite  two  adjectives  of  the  Vancouver  expedition  — 
"tremendous"  and  "stupendous"  —  seem  to  have  been 
most  appropriately  applied.  Lieutenant  Whidbey,  explor- 
ing it  in  the  summer  of  1793,  found  that  it  "  presented  to 
the  eye  one  rude  mass  of  almost  naked  rocks,  rising  into 
rugged  mountains,  more  lofty  than  he  had  before  seen, 
whose  towering  summits,  seeming  to  overhang  their  bases, 
gave  them  a  tremendous  appearance.  The  wliole  was  cov- 
ered with  perpetual  ice  and  snow  that  reached,  in  the 
gullies  formed  between  the  mountains,  close  down  to  the 
high-water  mark ;  and  many  waterfalls  of  various  dimen- 
sions were  seen  to  descend  in  every  direction." 

This  description  is  quoted  in  full  because  it  is  an  excel- 
lent example  of  the  descriptions  given  out  by  Vancouver 
and  his  associates,  who,  if  they  ever  felt  a  quickening  of 
the  pulses  in  contemplation  of  these  majestic  scenes,  were 
certainly  successful  in  concealing  such  human  emotions 
from  the  world.  True,  they  did  occasionally  chronicle  a 
"pleasant"  breeze,  a  "pleasing"  landscape  which  "re- 
minded them  of  England ; "  and  even,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Port  Townsend,  they  were  moved  to  enthusiasm  over  a 


ALASKA:   THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  31 

"landscape  almost  as  enchaiitingly  beautiful  as  the  most 
elegantly  finished  pleasure-grounds  in  Europe,"  which 
called  to  their  remembrance  "certain  delightful  and  be- 
loved situations  in  Old  England." 

But  apparently,  having  been  familiar  only  with  i^leasing 
pastoral  scenes,  they  were  not  able  to  rise  to  an  apprecia- 
tion of  the  sublime  in  nature.  "  Elegant "  is  the  mincing 
and  amusing  adjective  applied  frequently  to  snow  moun- 
tains by  Vancouver;  he  mentions,  also,  "spacious  mead- 
ows, elegantly  adorned  witli  trees  ;  "  but  when  they  arrive 
at  the  noble  beauty  which  arouses  in  most  beholders  a 
feeling  of  exaltation  and  an  aj^preciation  of  the  marvellous 
handiwork  of  God,  Vancouver  and  his  associates,  having 
never  seen  anything  of  the  kind  in  England,  find  it  only 
"tremendous,"  or  "  stupendous,"  or  a  "  rude  mass."  They 
would  have  probably  described  the  chaste,  exquisite  cone 
of  Shishaldin  on  Unjmak  Island  —  as  peerless  and  apart  in 
its  delicate  beauty  among  mountains  as  Venice  is  among 
cities  —  as  "a  mountain  covered  with  snow  to  the  very  sea 
and  having  a  most  elegant  point." 

There  are  many  mountains  more  than  twice  the  height 
of  Shishaldin,  but  there  is  nowhere  one  so  beautiful. 

Great  though  our  veneration  must  be  for  those  brave 
mariners  of  early  years,  their  apparent  lack  of  appreciation 
of  the  scenery  of  Alaska  is  to  be  deplored.  It  has  fastened 
upon  the  land  an  undeserved  reputation  for  being  "rugged" 
and  "  gloomy  "  —  two  more  of  their  adjectives  ;  of  being 
"  ice-locked,  ice-bound,  and  ice-bounded."  We  may  par- 
don them  much,  but  scarcely  the  adjective  "  grotesque," 
as  applied  to  snow  mountains. 

Grenville  Channel  is  a  narrow,  lovely  reach,  extending 
in  a  northwestward  direction  from  Wright  Sound  for 
forty-five  miles,  when  it  merges  into  Arthur  Passage.  In 
its  slender  course  it  curves  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left. 


32         ALASKA:    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

In  this  reach,  at  one  o'clock  one  June  day,  the  thrilling 
cry  of  "  man  overboard"  ran  over  the  decks  of  the  Santa 
Ana.  There  were  more  than  two  hundred  passengers 
aboard,  and  instantly  an  excited  and  dangerous  stampede 
to  starboard  and  stern  occurred ;  but  the  captain,  cool 
and  stern  on  the  bridge,  was  equal  to  the  perilous  situa- 
tion. A  life-boat  was  ordered  lowered,  and  the  steerage 
passengers  were  quietly  forced  to  their  quarters  forward. 
Life-buoys,  life-preservers,  chairs,  ropes,  and  other  articles 
were  flung  overboard,  until  the  water  resembled  a  junk- 
shop.  Through  them  all,  the  man's  dark,  closely  shaven 
head  could  be  seen,  his  face  turned  from  the  steamer,  as 
he  swam  fiercely  toward  the  shore  against  a  strong  cur- 
rent. The  channel  was  too  narrow  for  the  steamer  to 
turn,  but  a  boat  was  soon  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  man  wlio 
was  struggling  fearfully  for  the  shore,  and  who  was  sup- 
posed to  be  too  bewildered  to  realize  that  he  was  headed 
in  the  wrong  direction.  What  was  our  amazement,  when 
the  boat  finally  reached  him,  to  discover,  by  the  aid  of 
glasses,  that  he  was  resisting  his  rescuers.  There  was  a 
long  struggle  in  the  water  before  he  was  overcome  and 
dragged  into  the  boat. 

He  was  a  pitiable  sight  when  the  boat  came  level  with 
the  hurricane  deck ;  wild-eyed,  gray-faced,  shuddering 
like  a  dog;  his  shirt  torn  open  at  the  throat  and  exposing 
its  tragic  emaciation;  his  glance  flashing  wildly  from  one 
face  to  another,  as  though  in  search  of  one  to  be  trusted  — 
he  was  an  object  to  command  the  pity  of  the  coldest  heart. 
In  his  hand  was  still  gripped  his  soft  hat  which  he  had 
taken  from  his  head  before  jumping  overboard. 

"  What  is  it,  my  man  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  kindly,  ap- 
proaching him. 

The  man's  wild  gaze  steadied  upon  the  captain  and 
seemed  to  recognize  him  as  one  in  authority. 

"They've  been  trying  to  kill  me,  sir,  all  the  way  up." 


ALASKA :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  33 

"Who?" 

The  poor  fellow  shuddered  hard. 

"They,"  he  said.  "They're  on  the  boat.  I  had  to 
watch  them  night  and  day.  I  didn't  dast  go  to  sleep.  It 
got  too  much;  I  couldn't  stand  it.  I  had  to  get  ashore. 
I'd  been  waiting  for  this  channel  because  it  was  so  nar- 
row. I  thought  the  current  'u'd  help  me  get  away.  I'm 
a  good  swimmer." 

"A  better  one  never  breasted  a  wave!  Take  him  below. 
Give  him  dry  clothes  and  some  whiskey,  and  set  a  watch 
over  him." 

The  poor  wretch  was  led  away;  the  crowd  drifted  after 
him.  Pale  and  quiet,  the  captain  went  back  to  the  chart- 
room  and  resumed  his  slow  pacing  forth  and  back. 

"  I  wish  tragedies  of  body  and  soul  would  not  occur  in 
such  beautiful  lengths  of  water,"  he  said  at  last.  "  I  can 
never  sail  through  Grenville  Channel  again  without  see- 
ing that  poor  fellow's  haggard  face  and  wild,  appealing 
eyes.  And  after  Gardner  Canal,  there  is  not  another  on 
the  route  more  beautiful  than  this!  " 

Two  inlets  open  into  Grenville  Channel  on  the  starboard 
going  north,  Lowe  and  Klewnuggit,  —  both  affording  safe 
anchorage  to  vessels  in  trouble.  Pitt  Island  forms  almost 
the  entire  western  shore  —  a  beautifully  wooded  one  — 
of  the  channel.  There  is  a  salmon  cannery  in  Lowe  Inlet, 
beside  a  clear  stream  which  leaps  down  from  a  lake  in  the 
mountains.  The  waters  and  shores  of  Grenville  have  a 
clear,  washed  green,  which  is  springlike.  In  many  of 
the  other  narrow  ways  the  waters  are  blue,  or  purple,  or  a 
pale  blue-gray;  but  here  they  suddenly  lead  you  along 
the  palest  of  green,  shimmering  avenues,  while  mountains 
of  many-shaded  green  rise  steeply  on  both  sides,  glimmer- 
ing away  into  drifts  of  snow,  which  drop  threads  of  silver 
down  the  sheer  heights. 

This  shaded  green  of  the  mountains  is  a  feature  of  Alas- 


34         ALASKA  :    THE  GREAT  COUNTRY 

kan  landscapes.  Great  landslides  and  windfalls  cleave 
their  wa}'  from  summit  to  sea,  mowing  down  the  forests 
in  their  path.  In  time  the  new  growth  springs  up  and 
streaks  the  mountain  side  with  lighter  green. 

Probably  one-half  of  the  trees  in  southeastern  Alaska 
are  the  Menzies  spruce,  or  Sitka  pine.  Their  needles  are 
sharp  and  of  a  bluish  green. 

The  Menzies  spruce  was  named  for  the  Scotch  botanist 
who  accompanied  Vancouver. 

The  Alaska  cedar  is  yellowish  and  lacy  in  appearance, 
with  a  graceful  droop  to  the  branches.  It  grows  to  an 
average  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Its  wood 
is  very  valuable. 

Arbor-vitse  grows  about  the  glaciers  and  in  cool,  dim 
fiords.  Birch,  alder,  maple,  cottonwood,  broom,  and 
hemlock-spruce  are  plentiful,  but  are  of  small  value,  save 
in  the  cause  of  beauty. 

The  Menzies  spruce  attains  its  largest  growth  in  the 
Alexander  Archipelago,  but  ranges  as  far  south  as  Cali- 
fornia. The  Douglas  fir  is  not  so  abundant  as  it  is  farther 
south,  nor  does  it  grow  to  such  great  size. 

The  Alaska  cedar  is  the  most  prized  of  all  the  cedars. 
It  is  in  great  demand  for  ship-building,  interior  finishing, 
cabinet-making,  and  other  fine  work,  because  of  its  close 
texture,  durable  quality,  and  aromatic  odor,  which  some- 
what resembles  that  of  sandalwood.  In  early  years  it 
was  shipped  to  Japan,  where  it  was  made  into  fancy  boxes 
and  fans,  which  were  sold  under  guise  of  that  scented 
Oriental  wood.  Its  lasting  qualities  are  remarkable  — 
sills  having  been  found  in  perfect  preservation  after  sixty 
years'  use  in  a  wet  climate.  Its  pleasant  odor  is  as  endur- 
ing as  the  wood.  The  long,  slender,  pendulous  fruits 
which  hang  from  the  branches  in  season,  give  the  tree  a 
peculiarly  graceful  and  appealing  appearance. 

Tlie  western  white  pine  is  used  for  interior  work.     It 


ALASKA:   THE  GREAT  COUNTRY  35 

is  a  magnificent  tree,  as  seen  in  the  forest,  having  bluish 
green  fronds  and  cones  a  foot  long. 

The  giant  arbor-vitoe  attains  its  greatest  size  close  to 
the  coast.  The  wood  splits  easily  and  makes  durable 
shingles.  It  takes  a  brilliant  polish  and  is  popular  for 
interior  finishing.     Its  beauty  of  growth  is  well  known. 

Wherever  there  is  sufficient  rainfall,  the  fine-fronded 
hemlock  may  be  found  tracing  its  lacelike  outlines  upon 
the  atmosphere.  There  is  no  evergreen  so  delicately 
lovely  as  the  hemlock.  It  stands  apart,  with  a  little  air 
of  its  own,  as  a  fastidious  small  maid  might  draw  her 
skirts  about  her  when  common  ones  pass  by. 

The  spruces,  firs,  and  cedars  grow  so  closely  together 
that  at  a  distance  they  appear  as  a  solid  wall  of  shaded 
green,  varying  from  the  lightest  beryl  tints,  on  through 
bluish  grays  to  the  most  vivid  and  dazzling  emerald  tones. 
At  a  distance  canyons  and  vast  gulches  are  filled  so  softly 
and  so  solidly  that  they  can  scarcely  be  detected,  the  trees 
on  the  crests  of  the  nearer  hills  blending  into  those  above, 
and  concealing  the  deep  spaces  that  sink  between. 

These  forests  have  no  tap-roots.  Their  roots  spread 
widely  upon  a  thin  layer  of  soil  covering  solid  stone  in 
many  cases,  and  more  likely  than  not  this  soil  is  created 
in  the  first  place  by  the  accumulation  of  parent  needles. 
Trees  spring  up  in  crevices  of  stone  where  a  bit  of  sand 
has  sifted,  grow,  fruit,  and  shed  their  needles,  and  thrive 
upon  them.  The  undergrowth  is  so  solid  that  one  must 
cut  one's  way  through  it,  and  the  progress  of  surveyors  or 
prospectors  is  necessarily  slow  and  difficult. 

These  forests  are  constantly  drenched  in  the  warm 
mists  precipitated  by  the  Kuro  Siwo  striking  upon  the 
snow,  and  in  this  quickening  moisture  they  reach  a  bril- 
liancy of  coloring  that  is  remarkable.  At  sunset,  thread- 
ing these  narrow  channels,  one  may  see  mountain  upon 
mountain   climbing   up   to   crests    of    snow,    their  lower 


36        ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

wooded  slopes  covered  with  mists  in  palest  blue  and  old 
rose  tones,  through  which  the  tips  of  the  trees,  crowded 
close  together,  shine  out  in  brilliant,  many-shaded  greens. 
After  Arthur  Passage  is  that  of  Malacca,  which  is  dotted 
b}--  several  islands.  "  Lawyer's,"  to  starboard,  bears  a  red 
light  ;  "  Lucy,"  to  port,  farther  north,  a  fixed  white  light. 
Directly  opposite  "  Lucy  "  —  who  does  not  rival  "  Sarah," 
or  who  in  the  pilot's  words  "  has  nothing  about  her  "  —  is 
old  Metlakahtla. 


-'  Vf 


CHAPTER   III 

The  famous  ukase  of  1821  was  issued  by  the  Russian 
Emperor  on  the  expiration  of  the  twenty-year  charter  of 
the  Russian-American  Company.  It  prohibited  "  to  all 
foreign  vessels  not  only  to  land  on  the  coasts  and  islands 
belonging  to  Russia,  as  stated  above"  (including  the 
whole  of  the  northwest  coast  of  America,  beginning  from 
Behring  Strait  to  the  fifty-first  degree  of  northern  lati- 
tude, also  from  the  Aleutian  Islands  to  the  eastern  coast  of 
Siberia,  as  well  as  along  the  Kurile  Islands  from  Behring 
Strait  to  the  south  cape  of  the  Island  of  Urup)  "  but  also  to 
approach  them  within  less  than  one  hundred  miles." 

After  the  Nootka  Convention  in  1790,  the  Northwest 
Coast  was  open  to  free  settlement  and  trade  by  the  people 
of  any  country.  It  was  claimed  by  the  Russians  to  the 
Columbia,  afterward  to  the  northern  end  of  Vancouver 
Island  ;  by  the  British,  from  the  Columbia  to  the  fifty- 
fifth  degree;  and  by  the  United  States,  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  between  Forty-two  and  Fifty- 
four,  Forty.  By  the  treaty  of  1819,  by  which  Florida 
was  ceded  to  us  by  Spain,  the  United  States  acquired  all 
of  Spanish  rights  and  claims  on  the  coast  north  of  the 
forty-second  degree.  By  its  trading  posts  and  regular  trad- 
ing vessels,  the  United  States  was  actually  in  possession. 

By  treaty  with  the  United  States  in  1824,  and  with 
Great  Britain  in  1825,  Russia,  realizing  her  mistake  in 
issuing  the  ukase  of  1821,  agreed  to  Fifty-four,  Forty  as 
the  limit  of  her  possessions  to  southward.     Of  the  interior 

37 


38  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

regions,  Russia  claimed  the  Yukon  region  ;  England,  that 
of  the  Mackenzie  and  the  country  between  Hudson  Bay 
and  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  the  United  States,  all  west  of 
the  Rockies,  north  of  Forty-two. 

The  year  previous  to  the  one  in  which  the  United 
States  acquired  Florida  and  all  Spanish  rights  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  north  of  Forty-two,  the  United  States  and 
England  had  agreed  to  a  joint  occupation  of  the  region. 
In  1828  this  was  indefinitely  extended,  but  with  the 
emigration  to  Oregon  in  the  early  forties,  this  country 
demanded  a  settlement  of  the  boundary  question. 

President  Tyler,  in  his  message  to  Congress  in  1843, 
declared  that  "the  United  States  rights  appertain  to  all 
between  forty-two  degrees  and  fifty-four  degrees  and 
forty  minutes." 

The  leading  Democrats  of  the  South  were  at  that  time 
advocating  the  annexation  of  Texas.  Mr.  Calhoun  was 
an  ardent  champion  of  the  cause,  and  was  endeavoring  to 
effect  a  settlement  with  the  British  minister,  offering  the 
forty-ninth  parallel  as  a  compromise  on  the  boundary 
dispute,  in  his  eagerness  to  acquire  Texas  without  danger 
of  interference. 

The  compromise  was  declined  by  the  British  minister. 

In  1844  slave  interests  defeated  Mr.  Van  Buren  in  his 
aspirations  to  the  presidency.  Mr.  Clay  was  nominated 
instead.  The  latter  opposed  the  annexation  of  Texas  and 
advised  caution  and  compromise  in  the  Oregon  question ; 
but  the  Democrats  nominated  Polk  and  under  the  war-cry 
of  "Fifty -four,  Forty,  or  Fight,"  bore  him  on  to  victory. 
The  convention  which  nominated  him  advocated  the 
reannexation  of  Texas  and  the  reoccupation  of  Oregon  ; 
the  two  significant  words  being  used  to  make  it  clear  that 
Texas  had  belonged  to  us  before,  through  the  Louisiana 
purchase  ;  and  Oregon,  before  the  treaty  of  joint  occupa- 
tion with  Great  Britain. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  39 

President  Polk,  in  his  message,  declared  that,  "  beyond 
all  question,  the  protection  of  our  laws  and  our  jurisdic- 
tion, civil  and  criminal,  ought  to  be  immediately  extended 
over  our  citizens  in  Oregon." 

He  quoted  from  the  convention  which  had  nominated 
him  that  "  our  title  to  the  country  of  Oregon  as  far  as 
Fifty-four,  Forty,  is  clear  and  unquestionable  ;  "  and  he 
boldly  declared  "for  all  of  Oregon  or  none." 

John  Qiiincy  Adams  eloquently  supported  our  title  to 
the  country  to  the  line  of  Fifty-four,  Forty  in  a  powerful 
speech  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Yet  it  soon  became  apparent  that  both  the  Texas  policy 
and  the  Oregon  question  could  not  be  successfully  carried 
out  during  the  administration.  "  Fifty-four,  Forty,  or 
Fight "  as  a  watchword  in  a  presidential  campaign  was 
one  thing,  but  as  a  challenge  to  fight  flung  in  the  face 
of  Great  Britain,  it  was  quite  another. 

In  February,  1846,  the  House  declared  in  favor  of  giv- 
ing notice  to  Great  Britain  that  the  joint  occupancy  of 
the  Oregon  country  must  cease.  The  Senate,  realizing 
that  this  resolution  was  practically  a  declaration  of  war, 
declined  to  adopt  it,  after  a  very  bitter  and  fiery  con- 
troversy. 

Those  who  retreated  from  their  first  position  on  the 
question  were  hotly  denounced  by  Senator  Hannegan,  the 
Democratic  senator  from  Indiana.  He  boldly  attacked 
the  motives  which  led  to  their  retreat,  and  angrily  ex- 
claimed :  — 

"•  If  Oregon  were  good  for  the  production  of  sugar  and 
cotton,  it  would  not  have  encountered  this  opposition." 

The  resolution  was  almost  unanimously  opposed  by  the 
Whig  senators.  Mr.  Webster,  while  avoiding  tlie  point 
of  our  actual  rights  in  the  matter,  urged  that  a  settle- 
ment on  the  line  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel  be  recom- 
mended, as  permitting  both  countries  to  compromise  with 


40         ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

dignity  and  honor.  The  resolution  that  was  finally  passed 
by  the  Senate  and  afterward  by  the  House,  authorized 
the  president  to  give  notice  at  his  discretion  to  Great 
Britain  that  the  treaty  should  be  terminated,  "  in  order 
that  the  attention  of  the  governments  of  both  countries 
may  be  the  more  earnestly  directed  to  the  adoption  of 
all  proper  measures  for  a  speedy  and  amicable  adjustment 
of  the  differences  and  disputes  in  regard  to  said  territory."' 

Forever  to  their  honor  be  it  remembered  that  a  few  of 
the  Southern  Democrats  refused  to  retreat  from  their  first 
position  —  among  them,  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Senator 
Hannegan  reproached  his  party  for  breaking  the  pledges 
on  which  it  had  marched  to  victory. 

The  passage  of  the  milk-and-water  resolution  restored 
to  the  timid  of  the  country  a  feeling  of  relief  and  security ; 
but  to  the  others,  and  to  the  generations  to  come  after 
them,  helpless  anger  and  undying  shame. 

The  country  yielded  was  ours.  We  gave  it  up  solely 
because  to  retain  it  we  must  fight,  and  we  were  not  in  a 
position  at  that  time  to  fight  Great  Britain. 

When  the  Oregon  Treaty,  as  it  was  called,  was  con- 
cluded by  Secretary  Buchanan  and  Minister  Pakenham, 
we  lost  the  splendid  country  now  known  as  British 
Columbia,  which,  after  our  purchase  of  Alaska  from  Rus- 
sia, would  have  given  us  an  unbroken  frontage  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean  from  Southern  California  to  Behring  Strait, 
and  almost  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  River  on  the 
Fi'ozen  Ocean. 

Many  reasons  have  been  assigned  by  historians  for  the 
retreat  of  the  Southern  Democrats  from  their  former  bold 
and  flaunting  position  ;  but  in  the  end  the  simple  truth 
will  be  admitted  —  that  they  might  brag,  but  were  not  in 
a  position  to  fight.  They  were  like  Lieutenant  Whidbey, 
whom  Vancouver  sent  out  to  explore  Lynn  Canal  in  a 
small  boat.     Mr.  Whidbey  was  ever  ready  and  eager,  when 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  41 

he  deemed  it  necessary,  to  fire  iipuu  a  small  party  of 
Indians ;  but  when  they  met  him,  full  front,  in  formidable 
numbers  and  with  couched  spears,  he  instantly  fell  into 
a  panic  and  deemed  it  more  "  humane  "  to  avoid  a  conflict 
with  those  poor,  ignorant  people. 

The  Southern  Democrats  who  betrayed  their  country 
in  1846  were  the  Whidbeys  of  the  United  States.  For 
no  better  reason  than  that  of  "  humanity,"  they  gave 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  square  miles  of  magnificent 
country  to  Great  Britain. 

Another  problem  in  this  famous  boundary  settlement 
question  has  interested  American  historians  for  sixty 
years  :  Why  England  yielded  so  much  valuable  territory  to 
the  United  States,  after  protecting  what  she  claimed  as  her 
rights  so  boldly  and  so  unflinchingly  for  so  many  years. 

Professor  Schafer,  the  head,  of  the  Department  of 
American  History  at  the  University  of  Oregon,  claims  to 
have  recently  found  indisputable  proof  in  the  records  of 
the  British  Foreign  Office  and  those  of  the  old  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  in  London,  that  the  abandonment  of  the 
British  claim  was  influenced  by  the  presence  of  American 
pioiieers  who  had  pushed  across  the  continent  and  settled 
in  the  disputed  territory,  bringing  their  families  and 
founding  homes  in  the  wilderness. 

England  knew,  in  her  heart,  that  the  whole  disputed 
territory  was  ours  ;  and  as  our  claims  were  strengthened 
by  settlement,  she  was  sufficiently  far-sighted  to  be  glad 
to  compromise  at  that  time.  If  the  Oregon  Treaty  had 
been  delayed  for  a  few  years,  British  Columbia  would 
now  be  ours.  Proofs  which  strengthen  our  claim  were 
found  in  the  winter  of  1907-1908  in  the  archives  of  Sitka. 

There  would  be  more  justice  in  our  laying  claim  to 
British  Columbia  now,  than  there  was  in  the  claims  of 
Great  Britain  in  the  famous  lisiere  matter  which  was 
settled  in  1903. 


42         ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

By  the  treaties  of  1824,  between  Russia  and  tlie 
United  States,  and  of  1825,  between  Russia  and  Great 
Britain,  the  limits  of  Russian  possessions  are  thus  defined, 
and  upon  our  purchase  of  Alaska  from  Russia,  were 
repeated  in  the  Treaty  of  Washington  in  18G7:  — 

"Commencing  from  the  southernmost  point  of  the 
island  called  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  which  point  lies  in 
the  parallel  of  fifty-four  degrees  and  forty  minutes  north 
latitude,  and  between  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-first  and 
the  one  hundred  and  thirty-third  degree  of  west  longi- 
tude (meridian  of  Greenwich),  the  said  line  shall  ascend 
to  the  North  along  the  channel  called  Portland  Channel, 
as  far  as  the  point  of  the  continent  where  it  strikes  the 
fifty-sixth  degree  of  north  latitude  ;  from  this  last  men- 
tioned point,  the  line  of  demarcation  shall  follow  the 
summit  of  the  mountains  situated  parallel  to  the  coast  as 
far  as  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-first  degree  of  west  longitude  (of  the  same  merid- 
ian) ;  and  finally,  from  the  said  point  of  intersection, 
the  said  meridian  line  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty-first 
degree,  in  its  prolongation  as  far  as  the  Frozen  Ocean, 
shall  form  the  limit  between  the  Russian  and  British  pos- 
sessions on  the  Continent  of  America  to  the  northwest. 

"  With  reference  to  the  line  of  demarcation  laid  down 
in  tlie  preceding  article,  it  is  understood :  — 

"  First,  That  the  island  called  Prince  of  Wales  Island 
shall  belong  wholly  to  Russia. 

"  Second,  That  wlienever  the  summit  of  the  mountains 
which  extend  parallel  to  the  coast  from  the  fifty-sixth 
degree  of  north  latitude  to  the  point  of  intersection  of 
the  one  hundred  and  forty-first  degree  of  west  longitude 
shall  prove  to  be  at  the  distance  of  more  than  ten  marine 
leagues  from  the  ocean,  the  limit  between  the  British 
possessions  and  the  line  of  coast  which  is  to  belong  to 
Russia   as  above  mentioned  shall  be   formed   by   a   line 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  43 

parallel  to  the  windings  of  the  coast,  and  which  shall 
never  exceed  the  distance  of  ten  marine  leagues  there- 
from. 

"The  western  limit  within  which  the  territories  and 
dominion  conveyed  are  coiitained,  passes  through  a  point 
in  Behring  Strait  on  the  parallel  of  sixty-five  degrees, 
thirty  minutes,  north  latitude,  at  its  intersection  by  the 
meridian  which  passes  midway  between  the  islands  of 
Krusenstern,  or  Ignalook,  and  the  island  of  Ratmanoff, 
or  Noonarbook,  and  proceeds  due  north,  without  limita- 
tion, into  the  same  Frozen  Ocean.  The  same  western 
limit,  beginning  at  the  same  initial  point,  proceeds  thence 
in  a  course  nearly  southwest,  through  Behring  Strait 
and  Behring  Sea,  so  as  to  pass  midway  between  the 
northwest  point  of  the  island  of  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
southeast  point  of  Cape  Choukotski,  to  the  meridian  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-two  west  longitude ;  thence, 
from  the  intersection  of  that  meridian  in  a  southwesterly 
direction,  so  as  to  pass  midway  between  the  island  of 
Attou  and  the  Copper  Island  of  the  Kormandorski  coup- 
let or  group  in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean,  to  the  meridian 
of  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  degrees  west  longitude, 
so  as  to  include  in  the  territory  conveyed  the  whole  of  the 
Aleutian  Islands  east  of  that  meridian." 

In  the  cession  was  included  the  right  of  property  in  all 
public  lots  and  squares,  vacant  lands,  and  all  public  build- 
ings, fortifications,  barracks,  and  other  edifices,  which  were 
not  private  individual  property.  It  was,  however,  under- 
stood and  agreed  that  the  churches  which  had  been  built 
in  the  ceded  territory  by  the  Russian  government  should 
remain  the  property  of  such  members  of  the  Greek  Orien- 
tal Church  resident  in  the  territory  as  might  choose  to 
worship  therein.  All  government  archives,  papers,  and 
documents  relative  to  the  territory  and  dominion  afore- 
said which  were  existinsr  there  at  the   time  of  transfer 


44        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

were  left  in  possession  of  the  agent  of  the  United  States ; 
with  the  understanding  that  the  Russian  government  or 
any  Russian  subject  may  at  any  time  secure  an  authenti- 
cated copy  tliereof. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  territory  were  given  their  choice 
of  returning  to  Russia  within  three  years,  or  remaining 
in  the  territory  and  being  admitted  to  the  enjoyment  of 
all  rights,  advantages,  and  immunities  of  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  protected  in  the  free  enjoyment  of  their 
liberty,  property,  and  religion. 

It  must  be  confessed  with  chagrin  that  very  few  Rus- 
sians availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  free  them- 
selves from  the  supposed  oppression  of  their  government, 
to  unite  with  the  vaunted  glories  of  ours. 

Before  1825,  Great  Britain,  Spain,  Portugal,  and  the 
United  States  had  no  rights  of  occupation  and  assertion 
on  the  Northwest  Coast.  Different  nations  had  "planted 
bottles  "  and  "  taken  possession  "  wherever  their  explorers 
had  chanced  to  land,  frequently  ignoring  the  same  cere- 
mony on  the  part  of  previous  explorers ;  but  these  for- 
malities did  not  weigh  against  the  rights  of  discovery  and 
actual  occupation  by  Russia  —  else  Spain's  rights  would 
have  been  prior  to  Great  Britain's. 

Between  the  years  of  1542  and  1774  Spanish  explorers 
had  examined  and  traced  the  western  coast  of  America  as 
far  north  as  fifty-four  degrees  and  forty  minutes,  Perez 
having  reached  that  latitude  in  1774,  discovering  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands  on  the  16th  of  June,  and  Nootka  Sound 
on  the  9th  of  August. 

Although  he  did  not  land,  he  had  friendly  relations 
with  the  natives,  who  surrounded  his  ship,  singing  and 
scattering  white  feathers  as  a  beautiful  token  of  peace. 
They  traded  dried  fish,  furs,  and  ornaments  of  their  own 
making  for  knives  and  old  iron ;  and  two,  at  least, 
boarded  the  ship. 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  -15 

Perez  named  the  northernmost  point  of  Queen  Charlotte 
Islands  Point  Santa  Margarita. 

Proceeding  south,  he  made  a  landfall  and  anchored  in 
a  roadstead  in  forty-nine  degrees  and  thirty  minutes, 
which  he  called  San  Lorenzo  —  afterward  the  famous 
Nootka  of  Vancouver  Island.  He  also  discovered  the 
beautiful  white  mountain  which  dignifies  the  entrance  to 
Puget  Sound,  and  named  it  Santa  Rosalia.  It  was 
renamed  Mount  Olympus  fourteen  years  later  by  John 
Meares. 

This  was  the  first  discovery  of  the  Northwest  Coast, 
and  when  Cook  and  Vancouver  came,  it  was  to  find  that 
the  Spanish  had  preceded  them. 

Not  content  with  occupying  the  splendid  possessions 
of  the  United  States  through  the  not  famous,  but 
infamous,  Oregon  Treaty,  Canada,  upon  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  the  Cassiar  district  of  British  Columbia,  brought 
up  the  question  of  the  lisiere,  or  tliirty-mile  strip.  This 
was  the  strip  of  land,  "not  exceeding  ten  marine  leagues 
in  width,"  which  bordered  the  coast  from  the  southern 
limit  of  Russian  territory  at  Portland  Canal  (now  the 
southern  boundary  of  Alaska)  to  the  vicinity  of  Mount 
St.  Elias.  The  purpose  of  this  strip  was  stated  by  the 
Russian  negotiations  to  be  "  the  establishment  of  a  barrier 
at  which  would  be  stopped,  once  for  all,  to  the  North  as  to 
the  West  of  the  coast  allotted  to  our  American  Company, 
the  encroachments  of  the  English  agents  of  the  Amalga- 
mated Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  English  Company." 

In  1824,  upon  the  proposal  of  Sir  Charles  Bagot  to 
assign  to  Russia  a  strip  with  the  uniform  width  of  ten 
marine  leagues  from  the  shore,  limited  on  the  south  by  a 
line  between  thirty  and  forty  miles  north  from  the  north- 
ern end  of  the  Portland  Canal,  the  Russian  Plenipoten- 
tiaries replied :  — 

"  The  motive  which  caused  the  adoption  of  the  principle 


46  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

of  mutual  expediency  to  be  proposed,  and  the  most  impor- 
tant advantage  of  this  principle,  is  to  prevent  tlie  respec- 
tive establishments  on  the  Northwest  Coast  from  injuring 
each  other  and  entering  into  collision. 

"  The  English  establishments  of  the  Hudson  Bay  and 
Northwest  companies  have  a  tendency  to  advance  west- 
ward along  the  fifty-third  and  fifty-fourth  degrees  of 
north  latitude. 

"•  The  Russian  establishments  of  the  American  Com- 
pany have  a  tendency  to  descend  southward  toward  the 
tifty-fifth  parallel  and  beyond;  for  it  should  be  noted  that, 
if  the  American  Company  has  not  yet  made  permanent 
establishments  on  the  mathematical  line  of  the  fifty-fifth 
degree,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  by  virtue  of  its  privi- 
lege of  1799,  against  which  privilege  no  power  has  ever 
protested,  it  is  exploiting  the  hunting  and  the  fishing  in 
these  regions,  and  that  it  regularly  occupies  the  islands 
and  the  neighboring  coasts  during  the  season,  which 
allows  it  to  send  its  hunters  and  fishermen  there. 

"  It  was,  then,  to  the  mutual  advantage  of  the  two 
Empires  to  assign  just  limits  to  tliis  advance  on  both 
sides,  which,  in  time,  could  not  fail  to  cause  most  unfor- 
tunate complications. 

"  It  was  also  to  their  mutual  advantage  to  fix  their 
limits  according  to  natural  partitions,  which  always  con- 
stitute the  most  distinct  and  certain  frontiers. 

"■  For  these  reasons  the  Plenipotentiaries  of  Russia  have 
proposed  as  limits  upon  the  coast  of  the  continent,  to  the 
South,  Portland  Channel,  the  head  of  which  lies  about 
Cpar)  the  fifty-sixth  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  to  the 
East,  the  chain  of  mountains  which  follows  at  a  very  short 
distance  the  sinuosities  of  the  coast." 

Sir  Charles  Bagot  urged  the  line  proposed  by  himself 
and  offered,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  to  include  the 
Prince  of  Wales  Island  within  the  Russian  line. 


ALASKA :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  47 

Russia,  however,  insisted  upon  having  her  lisiere  run 
to  the  Portland  Canal,  declaring  that  the  possession  of 
Wales  Island,  without  a  slice  (portion)  of  territory  upon 
the  coast  situated  in  front  of  that  island,  could  be  of 
no  utility  whatever  to  Russia ;  that  any  establishment 
formed  upon  said  island,  or  upon  the  surrounding  islands, 
would  find  itself,  as  it  were,  flanked  by  the  English 
establishments  on  the  mainland,  and  completely  at  the 
mercy  of  these  latter. 

England  finally  yielded  to  the  Russian  demand  that  the 
lisiere  should  extend  to  the  Portland  Canal. 

The  claim  that  the  Canadian  government  put  forth, 
after  the  discovery  of  gold  had  made  it  important  that 
Canada  should  secure  a  short  line  of  traffic  between  the 
northern  interior  and  the  ocean,  was  that  the  wording  of 
certain  parts  of  the  treaty  of  1825  had  been  wrongly  in- 
terpreted. The  Canadians  insisted  that  it  was  not  the 
meaning  nor  the  intention  of  the  Convention  of  1825  that 
there  should  remain  in  the  exclusive  possession  of  Russia 
a  continuous  fringe,  or  strip  —  the  lisiere  —  of  coast,  sep- 
arating the  British  possessions  from  the  bays,  ports,  inlets, 
havens,  and  waters  of  the  ocean. 

Or,  if  it  should  be  decided  that  this  was  the  meaning 
of  the  treaty,  they  maintained  that  the  width  of  the  lisiere 
was  to  be  measured  from  the  line  of  the  general  direction 
of  the  mainland  coast,  and  not  from  the  heads  of  the  many 
inlets. 

They  claimed,  also,  that  the  broad  and  beautiful  "  Port- 
land's Canal "  of  Vancouver  and  the  "  Portland  Channel  " 
of  the  Convention  of  1825,  were  the  Pearse  Channel  or 
Inlet  of  more  recent  times.  This  contention,  if  sustained, 
would  give  them  our  Wales  and  Pearse  islands. 

It  was  early  suspected,  however,  that  this  claim  was 
only  made  that  they  might  have  something  to  yield  when, 
as  they  hoped,  their  later  claim  to  Pyramid  Harbor  and 


48        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

the  valley  of  the  Chilkaht  River  should  be  made  and 
upheld.  This  would  give  them  a  clear  route  iuto  the 
Klondike  territory. 

In  1898  a  Joint  High  Commission  was  appointed  for 
the  consideration  of  Pelagic  Fur  Sealing,  Commercial 
Reciprocity,  and  the  Alaska  Boundary.'  The  Commission 
met  in  Quebec.  The  discussion  upon  the  boundary  con- 
tinued for  several  months,  the  members  being  unable  to 
agree  upon  the  meaning  of  the  wording  of  the  treaty  of 
1825. 

The  British  and  Canadian  members,  thereupon,  un- 
blushingly  proposed  that  the  United  States  should  cede  to 
Canada  Pyramid  Harbor  and  a  strip  of  land  through  the 
entire  width  of  the  lisiere. 

To  Americans  who  know  that  part  of  our  country,  this 
proposal  came  as  a  shock.  Pyramid  Harbor  is  the  best 
harbor  in  that  vicinity;  and  its  cession,  accompanied  by  a 
highwa}'^  through  the  lisiere  to  British  possessions,  would 
have  given  Canada  the  most  desirable  route  at  that  time 
to  the  Yukon  and  the  Klondike  —  the  rivers  upon  which 
the  eyes  of  all  nations  were  at  that  time  set.  Many 
routes  into  that  rich  and  picturesque  region  had  been 
tested,  but  no  other  had  proved  so  satisfactory. 

It  has  since  developed  that  the  Skaguay  route  is  the 
real  prize.  Had  Canada  foreseen  this,  she  would  not  have 
hesitated  to  demand  it. 

From  the  disagreement  of  the  Joint  High  Commission 
of  1898  arose  the  modus  vivendi  of  the  following  year. 
There  has  been  a  very  general  opinion  that  the  temporary 
boundary  points  around  the  heads  of  the  inlets  at  the 
northern  end  of  Lynn  Canal,  laid  down  in  that  year,  were 
fixed  for  all  time  —  although  it  seems  impossible  that  this 
opinion  could  be  held  by  any  one  knowing  the  definition  of 
the  term  "modus  vivendi." 

By  the    modus  vivendi   Canada  was   given   temporary 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  49 

possession  of  valuable  Chilkalit  territory,  and  her  new 
maps  were  made  accordingly. 

In  1903  a  tribunal  composed  of  three  American  mem- 
bers and  three  representing  Great  Britain,  two  of  whom 
were  Canadians,  met  in  Great  Britain,  to  settle  certain 
questions  relating  to  the  Usiere. 

The  seven  large  volumes  covering  the  arguments  and 
decisions  of  this  tribunal,  as  published  by  the  United 
States  government,  make  intensely  interesting  and  valua- 
ble reading  to  one  who  cares  for  Alaska. 

The  majority  of  the  tribunal,  that  is  to  say,  Lord 
Alverstone  and  the  three  members  from  the  United  States, 
decided  that  the  Canadians  have  no  rights  to  the  waters  of 
any  of  the  inlets,  and  that  it  was  the  meaning  of  the  Con- 
vention of  1825  that  the  Usiere  should  for  all  time  separate 
the  British  possessions  from  the  bays,  ports,  inlets,  and 
waters  of  the  ocean  north  of  British  Columbia ;  and  that, 
furthermore,  the  width  of  the  Usiere  was  not  to  be  meas- 
ured from  the  line  of  the  general  direction  of  the  mainland 
coast,  leaping  the  bays  and  inlets,  but  from  a  line  running 
around  the  heads  of  such  indentations. 

The  tribunal,  however,  awarded  Pearse  and  Wales 
islands,  which  belonged  to  us,  to  Canada ;  it  also  nar- 
rowed the  Usiere  in  several  important  points,  notably  on 
the  Stikine  and  Taku  rivers. 

The  fifth  question,  however,  was  the  vital  one ;  and  it 
was  answered  in  our  favor,  the  two  Canadian  members  dis- 
senting. The  boundary  lines  have  now  been  changed  on 
both  United  States  and  Canadian  maps,  in  conformity  with 
the  decisions  of  the  tribunal. 

Blaine,  Bancroft,  and  Davidson  have  made  the  clearest 
statements  of  the  boundary  troubles. 


CHAPTER   IV 

The  first  landing  made  by  United  States  boats  after 
leaving  Seattle  is  at  Ketchikan.  This  is  a  comparatively 
new  town.  It  is  seven  hundred  miles  from  Seattle,  and  is 
reached  early  on  the  third  morning  out.  It  is  the  first 
town  in  Alaska,  and  glistens  white  and  new  on  its  gentle 
hills  soon  after  crossing  the  boundary  line  in  Dixon 
Entrance  — which  is  always  saluted  by  the  lifting  of  hats 
and  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  on  the  part  of  patriotic 
Americans. 

Ketchikan  has  a  population  of  fifteen  hundred  people. 
It  is  the  distributing  point  for  the  mines  and  fisheries  of 
this  section  of  southeastern  Alaska.  It  is  the  present  port 
of  entry,  and  the  Customs  Office  adds  to  the  dignity  of  the 
town.  There  is  a  good  court-house,  a  saw-mill  with  a 
capacity  of  twenty-five  thousand  feet  daily,  a  shingle  mill, 
salmon  canneries,  machine  shops,  a  good  water  system,  a 
cold  storage  plant,  two  excellent  hotels,  good  schools  and 
churches,  a  progressive  newspaper,  several  large  wharves, 
modern  and  well-stocked  stores  and  shops,  and  a  sufficient 
number  of  saloons.  The  town  is  lighted  by  electricity 
and  many  of  the  buildings  are  heated  by  steam.  A  cred- 
itable chamber  of  commerce  is  maintained. 

There  are  seven  salmon  canneries  in  operation  which 
are  tributary  to  Ketchikan.  The  most  important  one 
"  mild-cures  "  fish  for  the  German  market. 

Among  the  "  shipping  "  mines,  which  are  within  a  radius 
of  fifty  miles,  and  which  receive  mails  and  supplies  from 

50 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  51 

Ketcliikan,  are  the  Mount  Andrews,  the  Stevenston,  the 
Mamies,  tlie  Russian  Brown,  the  Hydah,  the  Niblack,  and 
the  Sulzer.  From  fifteen  to  twenty  prospects  are  under 
development. 

There  are  smelters  in  operation  at  Hadley  and  Copper 
Mountain,  on  Prince  of  Wales  Island.  From  Ketchikan 
to  all  points  in  the  mining  and  fishing  districts  safe  and 
commodious  steamers  are  regularly  operated.  The  chief 
mining  industries  are  silver,  copper,  and  gold. 

The  residences  are  for  the  most  part  small,  but,  climb- 
ing by  green  terraces  over  the  hill  and  surrounded  by 
flowers  and  neat  lawns,  they  impart  an  air  of  picturesque- 
ness  to  the  town.  There  are  several  totem-poles ;  the 
handsomest  was  erected  to  the  memory  of  Chief  "  Captain 
John,"  by  his  nephew,  at  the  entrance  to  the  house  now 
occupied  by  the  latter.  The  nephew  asserts  that  he  paid 
$2060  for  the  carving  and  making  of  the  totem.  Owing  to 
its  freshly  painted  and  gaudy  appearance,  it  is  as  lacking  in 
interest  as  the  one  which  stands  in  Pioneer  Square,  Seattle, 
and  which  was  raped  from  a  northern  Indian  village. 

Four  times  had  I  landed  at  Ketchikan  on  my  way  to  far 
beautiful  places ;  with  many  people  had  I  talked  concern- 
ing the  place ;  folders  of  steamship  companies  and  pam- 
phlets of  boards  of  trade  had  I  read ;  yet  never  from  any 
person  nor  from  any  printed  page  had  I  received  the  faint- 
est glimmer  that  this  busy,  commercially  described  north- 
western town  held,  almost  in  its  heart,  one  of  the  enduring 
and  priceless  jewels  of  Alaska.  To  the  beauty-loving, 
Norwegian  captain  of  the  steamship  Jefferson  was  I  at  last 
indebted  for  one  of  the  real  delights  of  my  life. 

It  was  near  the  middle  of  a  July  night,  and  raining 
heavily,  when  the  captain  said  to  us :  — 

"  Be  ready  on  the  stroke  of  seven  in  the  morning,  and 
I'll  show  you  one  of  the  beautiful  things  of  Alaska." 


52  ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"But  —  at  Ketchikan,  captain  !  " 

"Yes,  at  Ketchikan." 

I  tliought  of  all  the  vaunted  attractions  of  Ketchikan 
which  had  ever  been  brought  to  my  observation ;  and  I 
felt  that  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  pouring 
rain,  I  could  live  without  every  one  of  them.  Then  —  the 
charm  of  a  warm  berth  in  a  gray  hour,  the  cup  of  hot 
coffee,  the  last  dream  to  the  drowsy  throb  of  the  steamer  — 

"  It  will  be  raining,  captain,"  one  said,  feebly. 

The  look  of  disgust  that  went  across  his  expressive  face  ! 

"  What  if  it  is  !  You  won't  know  it's  raining  as  soon  as 
you  get  your  eyes  filled  with  what  I  want  to  show  you. 
But  if  you're  one  of  that  kind  —  " 

He  made  a  gesture  of  dismissal  with  his  hands,  palms 
outward,  and  turned  away. 

"  Captain,  I  shall  be  ready  at  seven.  I'm  not  one  of 
that  kind,"  we  all  cried  together. 

"  All  right ;  but  I  won't  wait  five  minutes.  There'll  be 
two  hundred  passengers  waiting  to  go." 

"You  know  that  letter  that  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich 
wrote  to  Professor  Morse,"  spoke  up  a  lady  from  Boston, 
who  had  overheard.  "  You  know  Professor  INIorse  wrote 
a  hand  that  couldn't  be  deciphered,  and  among  other  things, 
Mr.  Aldrich  wrote :  '  There's  a  singular  and  perpetual 
charm  in  a  letter  of  yours  ;  it  never  grows  old;  it  never 
loses  its  novelty.  One  can  say  to  one's  self  every  day : 
"  There's  that  letter  of  Morse's.  I  have  not  read  it  yet. 
I  think  I  shall  take  another  shy  at  it."  Other  letters  are 
read  and  thrown  away  and  forgotten ;  but  yours  are  kept  for- 
ever —  unread ! '  Now,  that  letter,  somehow,  in  the  vaguest 
kind  of  way,  suggests  itself  when  one  considers  this  getting 
up  anywhere  from  three  to  six  in  the  morning  to  see  things 
in  Alaska.  There's  always  something  to  be  seen  during 
these  unearthly  hours.  Every  night  we  are  convinced 
that  we  will  be  on  deck  early,  to  see  something,  and  we 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  53 

leave  an  order  to  be  wakened ;  but  when  the  dreaded 
knocking  comes  upon  the  door,  and  a  hoarse  voice  an- 
nounces '  Wrangell  Narrows,'  or  '  Lama  Pass,'  our  berths 
suddenly  take  on  curves  and  attractions  they  possess  at  no 
other  time.  The  side-rails  into  which  we  have  been 
bumping  seem  to  be  cushioned  with  down,  the  space 
between  berths  to  grow  wider,  the  air  in  the  room  sweeter 
and  more  drowsily  delicious.  We  say,  '  Oh,  we'll  get  up 
to-morrow  morning  and  see  something,'  and  we  pull  the 
berth-curtain  down  past  our  faces  and  go  to  sleep.  After 
a  while,  it  grows  to  be  one  of  the  perpetual  charms  of  a 
trip  to  Alaska  —  this  always  going  to  get  up  in  the  morn- 
ing and  this  never  getting  up.  It  never  grows  old  ;  it 
never  loses  its  novelty.  One  can  say  to  one's  self  every 
morning:  '  There's  that  little  matter  to  decide  now  about 
getting  up.  Shall  I,  or  shall  I  not  ? '  I  have  been  to 
Alaska  three  times,  but  I've  never  seen  Ketchikan.  Other 
places  are  seen  and  admired  and  forgotten  ;  but  it  remains 
forever  —  unseen.  .  .  .  Now,  I'll  go  and  give  an  order  to 
be  called  at  half-past  six,  to  see  this  wonderful  thing  at 
Ketchikan  !  " 

I  looked  around  for  her  as  I  went  down  the  slushy  deck 
the  next  morning  on  the  stroke  of  seven ;  but  she  was  not 
in  sight.  It  was  raining  heavily  and  steadily  —  a  cold, 
thick  rain ;  the  wind  was  so  strong  and  so  changeful  that 
an  umbrella  could  scarcely  be  held. 

Alas  for  the  captain  !  Out  of  his  boasted  two  hundred 
passengers,  there  came  forth,  dripping  and  suspicious- 
eyed,  openly  scenting  a  joke,  only  four  women  and  one 
man.  But  the  captain  was  undaunted.  He  would  listen 
to  no  remonstrances. 

"  Come  on,  now,"  he  cried,  cheerfully,  leading  the  way. 
"  You  told  me  you  came  to  Alaska  to  see  things,  and  as 
long  as  you  travel  with  me,  you  are  going  to  see  all  that 
is   worth   seeing.     Let  the  others  sleep.     Anybody    can 


54  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

sleep.  You  can  sleep  at  home ;  but  you  can't  see  what  I 
am  going  to  show  you  now  anywhere  but  in  Alaska.  Do 
you  suppose  I  would  get  up  at  this  hour  and  waste  my 
time  on  you,  if  I  didn't  know  you'd  thank  me  for  it  all  the 
rest  of  your  life  ?  " 

So  on  and  on  we  went ;  up  one  street  and  down  another  ; 
around  sharp  corners ;  past  totem-poles,  saloons,  stylish 
shops,  windows  piled  with  Indian  baskets  and  carvings  ; 
up  steps  and  down  terraces ;  along  gravelled  roads ;  and 
at  last,  across  a  little  bridge,  around  a  wooded  curve, — and 
then  — 

Something  met  us  face  to  face.  I  shall  always  believe 
that  it  was  the  very  spirit  of  the  woods  that  went  past  us, 
laughing  and  saluting,  suddenly  startled  from  her  morning 
bath  in  the  clear,  amber-brown  stream  that  came  foaming 
musically  down  over  smooth  stones  from  the  moun- 
tains. 

It  was  so  sudden,  so  unexpected.  One  moment,  we 
were  in  the  little  northern  fishing-  and  mining-town,  which 
sits  by  the  sea,  trumpeting  its  commercial  glories  to  the 
world  ;  the  next,  we  were  in  the  forest,  and  under  the 
spell  of  this  wild,  sweet  thing  that  fled  past  us,  returned, 
and  lured  us  on. 

For  three  miles  we  followed  the  mocking  call  of   the 

spirit  of  the  brown  stream.     Her  breath  was  as  sweet  as 

the  breath  of  wild  roses  covered  with  dew.     Never  in  the 

woods  have  I  been  so  impressed,  so  startled,  with  the  feel- 

'  ing  that  a  living  thing  was  calling  me. 

We  could  find  no  words  to  express  our  delight  as  we 
climbed  the  path  beside  the  brown  stream,  whose  waters 
came  laughingly  down  through  a  deep,  dim  gorge.  They 
fell  sheer  in  sparkling  cataracts ;  they  widened  into  thin, 
singing  shallows  of  palest  amber,  clinking  against  the 
stones ;  narrow  and  foaming,  they  wound  in  and  out 
among  the  trees  ;  they  disappeared  completely  under  wide 


ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  55 

sprays  of  ferns  and  the  flat,  spreading  branches  of  trees, 
only  to  "  make  a  sudden  sally  "  farther  down. 

At  first  we  were  level  with  them,  walked  beside  them, 
and  paused  to  watch  the  golden  gleams  in  their  clear 
depths  ;  but  gradually  we  climbed,  until  we  were  hundreds 
of  feet  above  them. 

Down  in  those  purple  shadows  they  went  romping  on  to 
tlie  sea  ;  sometimes  only  a  flash  told  us  where  they  curved  ; 
other  times,  they  pushed  out  into  open  spaces,  and  made 
pause  in  deep  pools,  where  they  whirled  and  eddied  for  a 
moment  before  drawing  together  and  hurrying  on.  But 
alwa3-s  and  everywhere  the  music  of  their  wild,  sweet, 
childish  laughter  floated  up  to  us. 

In  the  dim  light  of  early  morning  the  fine  mist  of  the 
rain  sinking  through  the  gorge  took  on  tones  of  lavender 
and  purple.  The  tall  trees  climbing  through  it  seemed 
even  more  beautiful  than  they  really  were,  by  the  touch 
of  mj^stery  lent  by  the  rain. 

I  wish  that  Max  Nonnenbruch,  who  painted  the  adorable, 
compelling  "  Bride  of  the  Wind,"  might  paint  the  elfish 
sprite  that  dwells  in  the  gorge  at  Ketchikan.  He,  and  he 
alone,  could  paint  her  so  that  one  could  hear  her  impish 
laughter,  and  her  mocking,  fluting  call. 

The  name  of  the  stream  I  shall  never  tell.  Only  an 
unimaginative  modern  Vancouver  or  Cook  could  have 
bestowed  upon  it  the  name  that  burdens  it  to-day.  Let 
it  be  the  "  brown  stream  "  at  Ketchikan. 

If  the  people  of  the  town  be  wise,  they  will  gather  this 
gorge  to  themselves  while  they  may  ;  treasure  it,  cherish 
it,  and  keep  it  "unspotted  from  the  world  "  —  yet  for  the 
world. 

Metlakahtla  means  "the  channel  open  at  both  ends." 
It  was  here  that  Mr.  William  Duncan  came  in  1857,  from 
England,  as  a  lay  worker  for  the  Church  Mission  Society. 


56        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

It  had  been  represented  that  existing  conditions  among 
the  natives  sorely  demanded  high-minded  missionary  work. 
The  savages  at  Fort  Simpson  were  considered  the  worst 
on  the  coast  at  that  time,  and  he  was  urged  not  to  locate 
there.  Undaunted,  however,  Mr.  Duncan,  who  was  then 
a  ver}^  young  man,  filled  with  the  fire  and  zeal  of  one  who 
has  not  known  failure,  chose  this  very  spot  in  which  to 
begin  his  work  —  among  Indians  so  low  in  the  scale  of 
human  intelligence  that  they  had  even  been  accused  of 
cannibalism. 

Port  Simpson  was  then  an  important  trading-post  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company.  It  had  been  established  in  the 
early  thirties  about  forty  miles  up  Nass  River,  but  a  few 
years  later  was  removed  to  a  point  on  the  Tsimpsian  Penin- 
sula. In  1841  Sir  George  Simpson  found  about  fourteen 
thousand  Indians,  of  various  tribes,  living  there.  He 
found  them  "peculiarly  comely,  strong,  and  well-grown 
.   .   .   remarkably  clever  and  ingenious." 

The}''  carved  neatly  in  stone,  wood,  and  ivory.  Sir 
George  Simpson  relates  with  horror  that  the  savages  fre- 
quently ate  the  dead  bodies  of  their  relatives,  some  of 
whom  had  died  of  smallpox,  even  after  they  had  become 
putrid.  They  were  horribly  diseased  in  other  ways ;  and 
many  had  lost  their  eyes  through  the  ravages  of  smallpox 
or  other  disease.  They  fought  fiercely  and  turbulently 
with  other  tribes. 

Such  were  the  Indians  among  whom  Mr.  Duncan  chose 
to  work.  He  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  this  work,  being 
possessed  of  certain  unusual  qualities  and  attributes  of 
character  which  make  for  success. 

The  unselfishness  and  integrity  of  his  nature  made 
themselves  visible  in  his  handsome  face,  and  particularly 
in  the  direct  gaze  of  his  large  and  intensely  earnest  blue 
eyes ;  his  manners  were  simple,  and  his  air  was  one  of 
quiet  command ;  he  had  unfailing  cheerfulness,  faith,  and 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  57 

that  quality  which  struggles  on  under  the  heaviest  dis- 
couragement with  no  thought  of  giving  up. 

•  His  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond ;  his  energy  and 
enthusiasm  were  untiring,  and  he  never  attempted  to 
work  his  Indians  harder  than  he  himself  worked.  The 
entire  absence  of  that  trait  which  seeks  self-praise  or  self- 
glory,  —  in  fact,  his  absolute  self-effacement,  his  devotion 
of  self  and  self-interest  to  others,  and  to  hard  and  humble 
work  for  others,  —  all  these  high  and  noble  parts  of  an 
unusual  and  lovable  character,  added  to  a  most  winning 
and  attractive  personality,  gradually  won  for  young  Will- 
iam Duncan  the  almost  Utopian  success  which  many  others 
in  various  parts  of  the  world  have  so  far  worked  for  in 
vain. 

The  Indians  grew  to  trust  his  word,  to  believe  in  his 
sincerity  and  single-heartedness,  to  accept  his  teachings, 
to  love  him,  and  finally,  and  most  reluctantly  of  all,  to 
work  for  him. 

At  first  only  fifty  of  the  Tsimsheans,  or  Tsimpsians, 
accompanied  him  to  the  site  of  his  first  community  settle- 
ment. Here  the  land  was  cleared  and  cultivated  ;  neat 
two-story  cottages,  a  church,  a  schoolhouse,  stores  on  the 
cooperative  plan,  a  saw-mill,  and  a  cannery,  were  erected 
by  Mr.  Duncan  and  the  Indians.  At  first  a  corps  of  able 
assistants  worked  with  Mr.  Duncan,  instructing  the 
Indians  in  various  industries  and  arts,  until  the  young 
men  were  themselves  able  to  carry  along  the  different 
branches  of  work,  —  such  as  carpentry,  shoemaking, 
cabinet  building,  tanning,  rope-making,  and  boat  building. 
The  village  band  was  instructed  by  a  German,  until  one 
among  them  was  qualified  to  become  their  band-master. 
The  women  were  taught  to  cook,  to  sew,  to  keep  house,  to 
weave,  and  to  care  for  the  sick. 

Here  was  a  model  village,  an  Utopian  community,  an 
ideal  life,  —  founded  and  carried  on  by  the  genius  of  one 


68        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTS Y 

3'oung,  simple-hearted,  high-minded,  earnest,  and  self- 
devoted  English  gentleman. 

But  William  Duncan's  way,  although  strewn  with  the 
full  sweet  roses  of  success,  was  not  without  its  bitter, 
stinging  thorns.  Mr.  Duncan  was  not  an  ordained  min- 
ister, and  in  1881  it  was  decided  by  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land authorities  who  had  sent  Mr.  Duncan  out,  that  his 
field  should  be  formed  into  a  separate  diocese,  and  as  this 
decision  necessitated  the  residence  of  a  bishop.  Bishop 
Ridley  was  sent  to  the  field  —  a  man  whose  name  will 
ever  stand  as  a  dark  blot  upon  the  otlierwise  clean  page 
whereon  is  written  the  story  which  all  men  honor  and  all 
men  praise  —  the  story  of  the  exalted  life-work  of  William 
Duncan. 

Mr.  Duncan,  being  a  layman,  had  conducted  services  of 
the  simplest  nature,  and  had  not  considered  it  advisable 
to  hold  communion  services  which  would  be  embarrassing 
of  explanation  to  people  so  recently  won  from  the  customs 
of  cannibalism.  Bigoted  and  opinionated,  and  failing 
utterly  to  understand  the  Indians,  to  win  their  confidence, 
or  to  exercise  patience  with  them,  Bishop  Ridley  declined 
to  be  under  the  direction  of  a  man  who  was  not  ordained, 
and  criticised  the  form  of  service  held  by  Mr.  Duncan. 
The  latter,  having  been  in  sole  charge  of  his  work  for 
more  than  thirty  years,  and  being  conscious  of  its  full  and 
unusual  results,  chafed  under  the  Bishop's  supervision  and 
superintendence. 

In  the  meantime,  seven  other  missions  had  been  estab- 
lished at  various  stations  in  southeastern  Alaska.  The 
Bishop  undertook  to  inaugurate  communion  services. 
This  was  strongly  opposed  by  Mr.  Duncan,  and  he  was 
supported  by  the  Indians,  who  were  sincerely  attached  to 
him,  the  Society  in  England  sympathizing  with  the  Bishop. 
Friction  between  the  two  was  ceaseless  and  bitter,  and 
continued  until    1887.     This  has  been  civen  out  as  the 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  59 

cause  of  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Duncan  to  New  Met- 
lakahtla ;  but  his  own  people — graduates  of  Eastern 
universities — claim  that  it  is  not  the  true  reason.  He 
and  his  Indians  had  for  some  time  desired  to  be  under 
the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  in  1887  Mr.  Duncan 
went  to  Washington  City  to  negotiate  with  the  United 
States  for  Annette  Island.  The  Bishop  established  him- 
self in  residence,  but  failed  ignominiously  to  win  the 
respect  of  the  Indians.  He  quarrelled  with  them  in  the 
commonest  way,  struck  them,  went  among  them  armed, 
and  finally  appealed  to  a  man-of-war  for  protection  from 
people  whom  he  considered  bloodthirsty  savages. 

Mr.  Duncan,  having  been  successful  in  his  mission  to 
Washington,  his  faithful  followers,  during  his  absence, 
removed  to  Annette  Island,  and  here  he  found  on  his 
return  all  but  one  hundred  out  of  the  original  eight  hun- 
dred which  had  composed  his  village  on  the  Bishop's 
arrival  —  the  few  having  been  persuaded  to  remain  with 
the  latter  at  Old  Metlakahtla.  Those  who  went  to  the 
new  location  on  Annette  were  allowed  by  the  Canadian 
government  to  take  nothing  but  their  personal  property  ; 
all  their  houses,  public  buildings,  and  community  interests 
being  sacrificed  to  their  devotion  to  William  Duncan  — 
and  this  is,  perhaps,  the  highest,  even  though  a  wordless, 
tribute  that  this  great  man  will,  living  or  dead,  ever 
receive. 

This  story,  brief  and  incomplete,  of  which  we  gather  up 
the  threads  as  best  we  may  —  for  William  Duncan  dwells 
in  this  world  to  work,  and  not  to  talk  about  his  work  — 
is  one  of  the  most  pathetic  in  history.  When  one  con- 
siders the  low  degree  of  savagery  from  which  they  had 
struggled  up  in  thirty  years  of  hardest,  and  at  times  most 
discouraging,  labor,  to  a  degree  of  civilization  which,  in 
one  respect,  at  least,  is  reached  by  few  white  people  in 
centuries,  if   ever;    when    one    considers   how   they    had 


60        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

grown  to  a  new  faith  and  to  a  new  form  of  religious 
services,  to  confidence  in  the  possession  of  homes  and 
other  community  property,  and  to  believe  their  title  to 
them  to  be  enduring  ;  when  one  considers  the  tenacity  of 
an  Indian's  attachment  to  his  home  and  belongings,  and 
his  sorrowful  and  heart-breaking  reluctance  to  part  with 
them  —  this  shadowy,  silent  migration  through  northern 
waters  to  a  new  home  on  an  uncleared  island,  taking 
almost  nothing  with  them  but  their  religion  and  their 
love  for  Mr.  Duncan,  becomes  one  of  the  sublime  tragedies 
of  the  century. 

On  Annette  Island,  then,  twenty  years  ago,  ]\Ir.  Dun- 
can's work  was  taken  up  anew.  Homes  were  built ;  a  saw- 
mill, schools,  wharf,  cannery,  store,  town  hall,  a  neat 
cottage  for  Mr.  Duncan,  and  finally,  in  1895,  the  large 
and  handsome  church,  rose  in  rapid  succession  out  of  the 
wilderness.  Roads  were  built,  and  sidewalks.  A  trad- 
ing schooner  soon  plied  the  near-by  waters.  All  was  the 
work  of  the  Indians  under  the  direct  supervision  of  Mr. 
Duncan,  who,  in  1870,  had  journeyed  to  England  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  several  simple  trades  which  he  might, 
in  turn,  teach  to  the  Indians  whom  he  fondly  calls  his 
"people."  Thus  personally  equipped,  and  with  such 
implements  and  machinery  as  were  required,  he  had 
returned  to  his  work. 

To-day,  at  the  end  of  twenty  years,  the  voyager  ap- 
proaching Annette  Island,  beholds  rising  before  his  rever- 
ent eyes  the  new  Metlakahtla  —  the  old  having  sunken  to 
ruin,  where  it  lies,  a  vanishing  stain  on  the  fair  fame  of 
the  Church  of  England  of  the  past ;  for  the  church  of  to- 
day is  too  broad  and  too  enlightened  to  approve  of  the 
action  of  its  Mission  Society  in  regard  to  its  most  earnest, 
and  successful  worker,  William  Duncan. 

The  new  town  shines  white  against  a  dark  hill.  The 
steamer  lands  at  a  good  wharf,  which  is  largel}'^  occupied 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  61 

by  salmon  canneries.  Sidewalks  and  neat  gravelled  paths 
lead  to  all  parts  of  the  village.  The  buildings  are  attrac- 
tive in  their  originality,  for  Mr.  Duncan  has  his  own  ideas 
of  architecture.  The  church,  adorned  with  two  large 
square  towers,  has  a  commanding  situation,  and  is  a 
modern,  steam-heated  building,  large  enough  to  seat  a 
thousand  people,  or  the  entire  village.  It  is  of  handsome 
interior  finish  in  natural  woods.  Above  the  altar  are  the 
following  passages  :  The  angel  said  unto  them :  Fear  noUfor 
behold^  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  which  shall  he  to 
all  people.  .  .  .  Thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus,  for  he  shall 
save  his  people  from  their  sins. 

The  cottages  are  one  and  two  stories  in  height,  and  are 
surrounded  by  vegetable  and  flower  gardens,  of  which  the 
women  seem  to  be  specially  proud.  They  and  the  smil- 
ing children  stand  at  their  gates  and  on  corners  and  offer 
for  sale  baskets  and  other  articles  of  their  own  making. 
These  baskets  are,  without  exception,  crudely  and  inar- 
tistically  made ;  yet  they  have  a  value  to  collectors  by 
having  been  woven  at  Metlakahtla  by  Mr.  Duncan's 
Indian  women,  and  no  tourist  fails  to  purchase  at  least 
one,  while  many  return  to  the  steamer  laden  with 
them. 

There  is  a  girls'  school  and  a  boys'  school ;  a  hotel,  a 
town  hall,  several  stores,  a  saw-mill,  a  system  of  water- 
works, a  cannery  capable  of  packing  twenty  thousand 
cases  of  salmon  in  a  season,  a  wharf,  and  good  warehouses 
and  steam-vessels. 

The  community  is  governed  by  a  council  of  thirty 
members,  having  a  president.  There  is  a  police  force  of 
twenty  members.  Taxes  are  levied  for  public  improve- 
ments, and  for  the  maintenance  of  public  institutions. 
The  land  belongs  to  the  community,  from  which  it  may 
be  obtained  by  individuals  for  the  purpose  of  building 
homes.     The  cannery  and  the  saw-mill,  which  is  operated 


62  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

by  water,  belong  to  companies  in  which  stock  is  held  by 
Indians  who  receive  dividends.  The  emploj-ees  receive 
regular  wages. 

The  people  seem  happy  and  contented.  They  are 
deeply  attached  to  Mr.  Duncan,  and  very  proud  of  their 
model  town.  They  have  an  excellent  band  of  twenty-one 
pieces,  at  the  mere  mention  of  which  their  dark  faces  take 
on  an  expression  of  pride  and  pleasure,  and  their  black 
eyes  shine  into  their  questioner's  eyes  with  intense  inter- 
est ;  in  fact,  if  one  desires  to  steady  the  gaze  and  hold  the 
attention  of  a  Metlakahtla  Indian,  he  can  most  readily 
accomplish  his  purpose  by  introducing  the  subject  of  the 
village  band. 

It  is  a  surprise  that  these  Indians  do  not,  generally, 
speak  English  more  fluently ;  but  this  is  coming  with  the 
younger  generations.  Some  of  these  young  men  and 
young  women  have  been  graduated  from  Eastern  colleges, 
and  have  returned  to  take  up  missionary  work  in  various 
parts  of  Alaska.  Meeting  one  of  these  young  men  on  a 
steamer,  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  Mr.  Duncan.  The  smile 
of  affection  and  pride  that  went  across  his  face!  "Jam 
one  of  his  hoys^''''  he  replied,  simply.  This  was  the  Rev- 
erend Edward  Marsden,  who,  returning  from  an  Eastern 
college  in  1898,  began  missionary  work  at  Saxman,  near 
Juneau,  where  he  has  been  very  successful. 

Mr.  Duncan  is  exceedingly  modest  and  unassuming  in 
manner  and  bearing,  seeming  to  shrink  from  personal  at- 
tention, and  to  desire  that  his  work  shall  speak  for  itself. 
He  is  frequently  called  "  Father,"  which  is  exceedingly 
distasteful  to  him.  Visitors  seeking  information  are  wel- 
come to  spend  a  week  or  two  at  the  guest-house  and  learn 
by  observation  and  by  conversation  with  the  people  what 
has  been  accomplished  in  this  ideal  community ;  but,  save 
on  rare  occasions,  he  cannot  be  persuaded  to  dwell  upon 
his  own  work,  and  after  he  has  given  his  reasons  for  this 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  63 

attitude,  only  a  person  lost  to  all  sense  of  decency  and 
delicacy  would  urge  him  to  break  his  rule  of  silence. 

"  I  am  here  to  work,  and  not  to  talk  or  write  about  my 
work,"  he  says,  kindly  and  cordially.  "  If  1  took  the 
time  to  answer  one-tenth  of  the  questions  I  am  asked, 
verbally  and  by  letter,  I  would  have  no  time  left  for  my 
work,  and  my  time  for  work  is  growing  short.  I  am  an 
old  man," — his  beautiful,  intensely  blue  eyes  smiled  as 
he  said  this,  and  he  at  once  shook  his  white-crowned  head, 
— "  that  is  what  they  are  saying  of  me,  but  it  is  not 
true.  I  am  young,  I  feel  young,  and  have  many  more 
years  of  work  ahead  of  me.  Still,  I  must  confess  that  I 
do  not  work  so  easily,  and  my  cares  are  multiplying. 
Some  to  whom  I  make  this  explanation  will  not  respect 
my  wishes  or  understand  my  silence.  They  press  me  by 
letter,  or  personally,  to  answer  only  this  question  or  only 
that.  They  are  inconsiderate  and  hamper  me  in  my 
work." 

Possibly  this  is  the  key-note  to  Mr.  Duncan's  success. 
"Here  is  my  work;  let  it  speak  for  itself."  He  has  de- 
voted his  whole  life  to  his  work,  with  no  thought  for  the 
fame  it  may  bring  him.     For  the  latter,  he  cares  nothing. 

This  is  the  reason  that  pilgrims  voyage  to  Metlakahtla 
as  reverently  as  to  a  shrine.  It  is  the  noble  and  unselfish 
life-work  of  a  man  who  has  not  only  accomplished  a  great 
purpose,  but  who  is  great  in  himself.  When  he  passes  on, 
let  him  be  buried  simply  among  the  Indians  he  has  loved 
and  to  whom  he  has  giyen  his  whole  life,  and  write  upon 
his  headstone:   "Let  his  work  speak." 

The  settlement  on  Annette  Island  was  provided  for  in 
the  act  of  Congress,  1891,  as  follows :  — 

"  That,  until  otherwise  provided  for  by  law,  the  body 
of  lands  known  as  Annette  Islands,  situated  in  Alexander 
Archipelago  in  southeastern  Alaska,  on  the  north  side  of 
Dixon  Entrance,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  set  apart  as 


64  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

a  reservation  for  the  jNIetlakabtla  Indians,  and  those  people 
known  as  Metlakahtlans,  who  have  recently  emigrated 
from  British  Columbia  to  Alaska,  and  such  other  Alaskan 
natives  as  may  join  them,  to  be  held  and  used  b}'  them  in 
common,  under  such  rules  and  regulations,  and  subject  to 
such  restrictions,  as  may  be  prescribed  from  time  to  time 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior." 

The  Indians  of  the  Community  are  required  to  sign,  and 
to  fulfil  the  terms  of,  the  following  Declaration  :  — 

"  We,  the  people  of  Metlakahtla,  Alaska,  in  order  to  se- 
cure to  ourselves  and  our  posterity  the  blessings  of  a  Chris- 
tian home,  do  severally  subscribe  to  the  following  rules 
for  the  regulation   of   our  conduct  and  town  affairs:  — 

"  To  reverence  the  Sabbath  and  to  refrain  from  all  un- 
necessary secular  work  on  that  day ;  to  attend  divine 
worship;  to  take  the  Bible  for  our  rule  of  faith  ;  to  regard 
all  true  Christians  as  our  brethren  ;  and  to  be  truthful, 
honest,  and  industrious. 

"  To  be  faithful  and  loyal  to  the  Government  and  laws 
of  the  United  States. 

"  To  render  our  votes  when  called  upon  for  the  election 
of  the  Town  Council,  and  to  promptly  obey  the  by-laws 
and  orders  imposed  by  the  said  Council. 

"  To  attend  to  the  education  of  our  children  and  keep 
them  at  school  as  regularly  as  possible. 

"  To  totally  abstain  from  all  intoxicants  and  gambling, 
and  never  attend  heathen  festivities  or  countenance  hea- 
thenish customs  in  surrounding  villages. 

"  To  strictly  carry  out  all  sanitary  regulations  necessary 
for  the  health  of  the  town. 

"  To  identify  ourselves  with  the  progress  of  the  settle- 
ment, and  to  utilize  the  land  we  hold. 

"  Never  to  alienate,  give  away,  or  sell  our  land,  or  any 
portion  thereof,  to  any  person  or  persons  who  have  not 
subscribed  to  these  rules." 


CHAPTER   V 

Dixon  Entrance  belongs  to  British  Columbia,  but  the 
boundary  crosses  its  northern  waters  about  three  miles 
above  Whitby  Point  on  Dundas  Island,  and  the  steamer 
approaches  Revilla-Gigedo  Island.  It  is  twenty-five  by 
fifty  miles,  and  was  named  by  Vancouver  in  honor  of  the 
Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  who  sent  out  several  of  the  most 
successful  expeditions.  It  is  pooled  by  many  bits  of  tur- 
quoise water  which  can  scarcely  be  dignified  by  the  name 
of  lakes, 

Carroll  Inlet  cleaves  it  half  in  twain.  The  exquisite 
gorges  and  mountains  of  this  island  are  coming  to  their 
own  very  slowly,  as  compared  with  its  attractions  from  a 
commercial  point  of  view. 

The  island  is  in  the  centre  of  a  rich  salmon  district,  and 
during  the  "  running  "  season  the  clear  blue  waters  flash 
underneath  with  the  glistening  silver  of  the  struggling 
fish.  In  some  of  the  fresh- water  streams  where  the  hump- 
backed salmon  spawn,  the  fortunate  tourist  may  literally 
make  true  the  frei^uent  Western  assertion  that  at  certain 
times  "  one  can  walk  across  on  the  solid  silver  bridge 
made  by  the  salmon"  —  so  tightly  are  they  wedged  to- 
gether in  their  desperate  and  pathetic  struggles  to  reach 
the  spawning-ground. 

Vancouver   found   these  "hunch-backs,"  as   he    called 
them,  not  to  his  liking, — probably  on  account  of  finding 
them  at  the  spawning  season. 
F  05 


66        ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Leaving  Ketchikan,  Revilla  and  Point  Higgins  are 
passed  to  starboard  —  Higgins  being  another  of  Vancou- 
ver's choice  naraings  for  the  president  of  Chile. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  cluttering  up  of  a  landscape 
vs^ith  odds  and  ends  of  names?"  said  the  pilot  one  day. 
"  And  all  the  ugliest  by  Vancouver.  Give  me  an  Indian 
name  every  time.  It  always  means  something.  Take 
this  Revilly-Gig  Island;  the  Indians  called  it  'Na-a,' 
meaning  '  the  far  lakes,'  for  all  the  little  lakes  scattered 
around.  I  don't  know  as  we're  doing  much  better  in  our 
own  day,  though,"  he  added,  staring  ahead  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eyes.  "They've  just  named  a  couple  of  mountains 
Mount  Thomas  Whitten  and  Mount  Slioup !  Now  those 
names  are  all  right  for  men  —  even  congressmen  —  but 
they're  not  worth  shucks  for  mountains.  Why,  the  Rus- 
sians could  do  better!  Take  Mount  St.  Elias  —  named 
by  Behring  because  he  discovered  it  on  St.  Elias'  day.  I 
actually  tremble  every  time  I  pass  that  mountain,  for  fear 
I'll  look  up  and  see  a  sign  tacked  on  it,  stating  that  the 
name  has  been  changed  to  Baker  or  Bacon  or  Mudge,  so 
that  Vancouver's  bones  will  rest  more  easily  in  the  grave. 
Now  look  at  that  point  I  It's  pretty  enough  in  itself; 
but  — Higgins  !  " 

The  next  feature  of  interest,  however,  proved  to  be 
blessed  with  a  name  sweet  enough  to  take  away  the  bit- 
terness of  many  others  —  Clover  Pass.  It  was  not  named 
for  this  most  fragrant  and  dear  of  all  flowers,  but  for 
Lieutenant,  now  Rear-Admiral,  Clover,  of  the  United 
States  Navy. 

Beyond  Clover  Pass,  at  the  entrance  to  Naha  Bay,  is 
Loring,  a  large  and  important  cannery  settlement  of  the 
Alaska  Packers'  Association.  There  is  only  one  salmon- 
canning  establishment  in  Alaska,  or  even  on  the  North- 
west Coast,  more  picturesquely  situated  than  this,  and  it  is 
nearly  two  thousand  miles  "  to  Westward,"  at  the  mouth 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  67 

of  the  famed  Karluk  River,  where  the  same  company 
maintains  hirge  canneries  and  successful  hatcheries.  It 
will  be  described  in  another  chapter. 

A  trail  leads  from  Loring  through  the  woods  to  Dorr 
Waterfall,  in  a  lovely  glen.  In  Naha  Bay  thousands  of 
fish  are  taken  at  every  dip  of  the  seine  in  the  narrowest 
cove,  which  is  connected  with  a  chain  of  small  lakes  linked 
by  the  tiniest  of  streams.  In  summer  these  waters  seem 
to  be  of  living  silver,  so  thickly  are  they  swarmed  with 
darting  and  curving  salmon. 

Not  far  from  Naha  Bay  is  Traitor's  Cove,  where  Van- 
couver and  his  men  were  attacked  in  boats  by  savages  in 
the  masks  of  animals,  headed  by  an  old  hag  who  com- 
manded and  urged  them  to  bloodthirsty  deeds. 

This  vixen  seemed  to  be  a  personage  of  prestige  and 
influence,  judging  both  by  the  immense  size  of  her  lip 
ornament  and  her  air  of  command.  She  seized  the  lead 
line  from  Vancouver's  boat  and  made  it  fast  to  her  own 
canoe,  while  another  stole  a  musket. 

Vancouver,  advancing  to  parley  with  the  cliief,  made 
the  mistake  of  carrying  his  musket ;  whereupon  about 
fifty  savages  leaped  at  him,  armed  with  spears  and  dag- 
gers. 

The  chief  gave  him  to  understand  by  signs  that  they 
would  lay  down  their  arms  if  he  would  set  the  example ; 
but  the  terrible  old  woman,  scenting  peace  and  scorning 
it,  violently  and  turbulently  harangued  the  tribe  and 
urged  it  to  attack. 

The  brandishing  of  spears  and  the  flourishing  of  daggers 
became  so  uncomfortably  close  and  insistent,  that  Van- 
couver finally  overcame  his  "humanity,"  and  fired  into 
the  canoes. 

The  effect  was  electrical.  The  Indians  in  the  small 
canoes  instantly  leaped  into  the  water  and  swam  for  the 
shore;  those  in  the  larger  ones  tipped  the  canoes  to  one 


68  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

side,  so  that  the  higher  side  shiekled  them  while  they 
made  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  shore. 

There  they  ascended  the  rocky  cliffs  and  stoned  the 
boats.  Several  of  Vancouver's  men  were  severely 
wounded,  one  having  been  speared  completely  through 
the  thigh. 

The  point  at  the  northern  entrance  to  Naha  Bay, 
where  they  landed  to  dress  wounds  and  take  account  of 
stock  not  stolen,  was  named  Escape  Point ;  a  name  which 
it  still  retains. 

Kasa-an  Bay  is  an  inlet  pushing  fifteen  miles  into  the 
eastern  coast  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  which  is  two 
hundred  miles  in  length  and  averages  forty  in  width. 
Cholmondeley  Sound  penetrates  almost  as  far,  and  Moira 
Sound,  Niblack  Anchorage  on  North  Arm,  Twelve  Mile 
Arm,  and  Skowl  Arm,  are  all  storied  and  lovely  inlets. 
Skowl  was  an  old  chief  of  the  Eagle  Clan,  whose  sway 
was  questioned  by  none.  He  was  the  greatest  chief  of 
his  time,  and  ruled  his  people  as  autocratically  as  the  lordly, 
but  blustering,  Baranoff  ruled  his  at  Sitka.  Skowl  re- 
pulsed the  advances  of  missionaries  and  scorned  all  at- 
tempts at  Christianizing  himself  and  his  tribe.  His  was  a 
powerful  personality  which  is  still  mentioned  with  a  re- 
spect not  unmixed  with  awe.  To  say  that  a  chief  is  as 
fearless  as  Skowl  is  a  fine  compliment,  indeed,  and  one 
not  often  bestowed. 

Although  not  on  the  regular  run  of  steamers,  Howkan, 
now  a  Presbyterian  missionary  village  on  Cordova  Bay, 
on  the  southwestern  part  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  must 
not  be  entirely  neglected.  In  early  days  the  village  was 
a  forest  of  totems,  and  the  graves  were  almost  as  in- 
teresting as  the  totems.  Both  are  rapidly  vanishing 
and  losing  their  most  picturesque  features  before  the 
march  of  civilization  and  Christianity;  but  Howkan  is 
still  one  of  the  show-places  of  Alaska.     The  tourist  who 


ik^-i>''' %.;*■.■  v' 


-'/ 


ALASKA:     TRE    GREAT    COUNTRY  69 

is  able  to  make  this  side  trip  on  one  of  the  small  steamers 
that  run  past  there,  is  the  envy  of  the  unfortunate  ones 
wlio  are  compelled  to  forego  that  pleasure. 

Totemism  is  the  poetry  of  the  Indian  —  or  would  be  if 
it  possessed  any  religious  significance. 

I  once  asked  an  educated  Tsimpsian  Indian  what  the 
Metlakahtla  people  believed,  —  meaning  the  belief  that 
Mr.  Duncan  had  taught  them.  He  put  the  tips  of  his 
fingers  together,  and  with  an  expression  of  great  earnest- 
ness, replied :  — 

"They  believed  in  a  great  Spirit,  to  whom  they  prayed 
and  whom  they  worshipped  everywhere,  believing  that 
this  beautiful  Spirit  was  everywhere  and  could  hear. 
They  worshipped  it  in  the  forest,  in  the  trees,  in  the 
flowers,  in  the  sun  and  wind,  in  the  blades  of  grass,  —  alone 
and  far  from  every  one,  —  in  the  running  water  and  the 
still  lakes." 

"  Oh,  how  beautiful  !  "  I  said,  in  all  sincerity.  "  It 
must  be  the  same  as  my  own  belief  ;  only  I  never  heard 
it  put  into  words  before.  And  that  is  what  Mr.  Duncan 
has  taught  them?" 

He  turned  and  looked  at  me  squarely  and  steadily.  It 
was  a  look  of  weariness,  of  disgust. 

"Oh,  no,"  he  replied,  coldly;  "that  was  what  they  be- 
lieved before  they  knew  better  ;  before  they  were  taught 
the  truth  ;  before  Christianity  was  explained  to  them. 
That  is  what  they  believed  ivhile  they  were  savages  !  " 

We  were  in  the  library  of  the  Jefferson.  The  room  is 
always  warm,  and  at  that  moment  it  was  warmer  than  I 
had  ever  known  it  to  be.  Under  the  steady  gaze  of  those 
shining  dark  eyes  it  presently  became  too  warm  to  be 
endured.  With  ray  curiosity  quite  satisfied,  I  withdrew 
to  the  hurricane  deck,  where  there  is  always  air. 

Of  the  Indians  in  the  territory  of  Alaska  there  are  two 
stocks  —  the  Thlinkits,  or  Coast  Indians,  and  the  Tinneh, 


70        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

or  those  inhabiting  the  vast  regions  of  the  interior.  The 
Thlinkits  comprise  the  Tsimpsians,  or  Cliiiusyans,  the 
Kygtini,  or  Haidahs,  the  true  Tlilinlcits,  or  Ivoloshes,  and 
the  Yakutats. 

The  Kygani,  or  Haidah,  Indians  inhabit  the  Queen 
Charlotte  Archipelago,  which,  although  belonging  to 
British  Columbia,  must  be  taken  into  consideration  in 
any  description  of  the  Indians  of  Alaska.  They  were 
formerly  a  warlike,  powerful,  and  treacherous  race,  mak- 
ing frequent  attacks  upon  neighboring  tribes,  even  as  far 
south  as  Puget  Sound.  They  are  noted,  not  only  for 
these  savage  qualities,  but  also  for  the  grace  and  beauty 
of  their  canoes  and  for  their  delicate  and  artistic  carvings. 
Their  small  totems,  pipes,  and  other  articles  carved  out  of 
a  dark  gray,  highly  polished  slate  stone  obtained  on  their 
own  islands,  sometimes  inlaid  with  particles  of  shell,  are 
well  known  and  command  fancy  prices.  Haidah  basketry 
and  hats  are  of  unusual  beauty  and  workmanship.  The 
peculiar  ornamentation  is  painted  upon  the  hats  and  not 
woven  in.  The  designs  which  are  most  frequently  seen 
are  the  head,  wings,  tail,  and  feet  of  a  duck,  —  certain 
details  somewhat  resembling  a  large  oyster-shell,  or  a 
human  ear,  - —  painted  in  black  and  rich  reds.  The  hats 
are  usually  in  the  plain  twined  weaving,  and  of  such  fine, 
even  workmanship  that  they  are  entirely  waterproof. 
The  Haidahs  formerly  wore  the  nose-  and  ear-rings,  or 
other  ornaments,  and  the  labret  in  the  lower  lip. 

The  Thlinkits,  —  or  Koloshians,  as  the  Russians  and 
Aleuts  called  them,  from  their  habit  of  wearing  the  labret, 
—  are  divided  into  two  tribes,  the  Stikines  and  the  Sit- 
kans ;  the  former  inhabiting  the  mainland  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Stikine  River,  straggling  north  and  south  for  some 
distance  along  the  coast. 

The  Sitkans  dwell  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sitka  and  on 
the  near-by  islands.     They  are  among  the  tribes  of  Indians 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  71 

who  gave  Baranoff  much  trouble.  They  formerly  painted 
with  vermilion  or  lamp-black  mixed  with  oil,  traced  on 
their  faces  in  startling  patterns.  At  the  present  time 
they  dress  almost  like  white  people,  except  for  the  ever- 
lasting blanket  on  the  older  ones.  Some  of  the  younger 
women  are  very  handsome  —  clean,  light-brown  of  skin, 
red-cheeked,  of  good  figure,  and  having  large,  dark  eyes, 
at  once  soft  and  bright.  They  also  have  good,  white 
teeth,  and  are  decidedly  attractive  in  their  coquettish  and 
saucy  airs  and  graces.  The  young  Indian  women  at  Sitka, 
Yakutat,  and  Dundas  are  the  prettiest  and  the  most  at- 
tractive in  Alaska ;  nor  have  I  seen  any  in  the  Klondike, 
or  along  the  Yukon,  to  equal  them  in  appearance.  Also, 
one  can  barter  with  them  for  their  fascinating  wares  with- 
out praying  to  heaven  to  be  deprived  of  the  sense  of  smell 
for  a  sufficient  number  of  hours. 

Among  the  Thlinkits,  as  well  as  among  many  of  the 
Innuit,  or  Eskimo  tribes,  the  strange  and  cruel  custom 
prevails  of  isolating  young  girls  approaching  puberty  in 
a  liut  set  aside  for  this  purpose.  The  period  of  isolation 
varies  from  a  month  to  a  year,  during  which  they  are  con- 
sidered unclean  and  are  allowed  only  liquid  food,  which 
soon  reduces  them  to  a  state  of  painful  emaciation.  No 
one  is  permitted  to  minister  to  their  needs  but  a  mother 
or  a  female  slave,  and  they  cannot  hold  conversation  with 
any  one. 

When  a  maiden  finally  emerges  from  her  confinement 
there  is  great  rejoicing,  if  she  be  of  good  family,  and 
feasting.  A  charm  of  peculiar  design  is  hung  around 
her  neck,  called  a  "  Virgin  Charm,"  or  "  Virtue  Charm," 
which  silently  announces  that  she  is  "  clean  "  and  of  mar- 
riageable age.  Formerly,  according  to  Dall  and  other 
authorities,  the  lower  lip  was  pierced  and  a  silver  pin 
shaped  like  a  nail  inserted.  This  made  the  same  an- 
nouncement. 


72  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  chief  diet  of  the  Thlinkit  is  fish,  fresh  or  smoked. 
Unlike  tlie  Aleutians,  they  do  not  eat  whale  blubber,  as 
the  whale  figures  in  their  totems,  but  are  fond  of  the  por- 
poise and  seal.  The  women  are  fond  of  dress,  and  a 
voyager  who  will  take  a  gay  last  year's  useless  hat  along 
in  her  steamer  trunk,  will  be  sure  to  "  swap "  it  for  a 
handsome  Indian  basket.  In  many  places  they  still  em- 
ploy their  early  methods  of  fishing  —  raking  herring  and 
salmon  out  of  the  streams,  during  a  run,  with  long  poles 
into  which  nails  are  driven,  like  a  rake. 

They  are  fond  of  game  of  all  kinds.  They  weave 
blankets  out  of  the  wool  of  the  mountain  sheep.  Large 
spoons,  whose  handles  are  carved  in  the  form  and  designs 
of  totems,  are  made  out  of  the  horns  of  sheep  and  goats. 

The  Thlinkits  are  divided  into  four  totems  —  the  whale, 
the  eagle,  the  raven,  and  the  wolf.  The  raven,  which  by 
the  Tinnehs  is  considered  an  evil  bird,  is  held  in  the  high- 
est respect  by  the  Thlinkits,  who  believe  it  to  be  a  good 
spirit. 

Totemism  is  defined  as  the  system  of  dividing  a  tribe 
into  clans  according  to  their  totems.  It  comprises  a  class 
of  objects  which  the  savage  holds  in  superstitious  awe  and 
respect,  believing  that  it  holds  some  relation  to,  and  pro- 
tection over,  himself.  There  is  the  clan  totem,  common 
to  a  whole  clan;  the  sex  totem,  common  to  the  males  or 
females  of  a  clan ;  and  the  individual  totem,  belonging 
solely  to  one  person  and  not  descending  to  any  member 
of  the  next  generation.  It  is  generally  believed  that  the 
totem  has  some  special  religious  significance ;  but  this  is 
not  true,  if  we  are  to  believe  that  the  younger  and  edu- 
cated Indians  of  to-day  know  what  totemism  means. 
Some  totems  are  veritable  family  trees.  The  clan  totem 
is  reverenced  by  a  whole  clan,  the  members  of  which  are 
known  by  the  name  of  their  totem,  and  believe  themselves 
to  be    descended  from   a  common   animal    ancestor,  and 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  73 

jound  together  by  ties  closer  and  more  sacred  than  those 
of  Wood. 

The  system  of  totemism  is  old ;  but  the  word  itself, 
according  to  J.  G.  Frazer,  first  appeared  in  literature  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  being  introduced  from  an  Ojibway 
word  by  J.  Long,  an  interpreter.  The  same  authority 
claims  that  it  had  a  religious  aspect ;  but  this  is  denied, 
so  far,  at  least,  as  the  Thlinkits  are  concerned. 

The  Eagle  clan  believe  themselves  to  be  descended  from 
an  eagle,  which  they,  accordingly,  reverence  and  protect 
from  harm  or  death,  believing  that  it  is  a  beneficent 
spirit  that  watches  over  them. 

Persons  of  the  same  totem  may  neither  marry  nor  have 
sexual  intercourse  with  each  other.  In  Australia  the 
usual  penalty  for  the  breaking  of  this  law  was  death. 
With  the  Thlinkits,  a  man  might  marry  a  woman  of  any 
save  his  own  totem  clan.  The  raven  represented  woman, 
and  the  wolf,  man.  A  young  man  selected  his  individual 
totem  from  the  animal  which  appeared  most  frequently 
and  significantly  in  his  dreams  during  his  lonely  fast  and 
vigil  in  the  heart  of  the  forest  for  some  time  before  reach- 
ing the  state  of  puberty.  The  animals  representing  a 
man's  different  totems  —  clan,  family,  sex,  and  individual 
—  were  carved  and  painted  on  his  tall  totem-pole,  his 
house,  his  paddles,  and  other  objects ;  they  were  also 
woven  into  hats,  basketry,  and  blankets,  and  embroidered 
upon  moccasins  with  beads.  Some  of  the  Haidah  canoes 
have  most  beautifully  carven  and  painted  prows,  with  the 
totem  design  appearing.  These  canoes  are  far  superior  to 
those  of  Puget  Sound.  The  very  sweep  of  the  prow, 
strong  and  graceful,  as  it  cleaves  the  golden  air  above  the 
water,  proclaims  its  northern  home.  Their  well-known 
outlines,  the  erect,  rigid  figures  of  the  warriors  kneeling 
in  them,  and  the  strong,  swift,  sure  dip  of  the  paddles, 
sent  dread  to  the  hearts  of  the  Pueet  Sound  Indians  and 


74  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

the  few  white  settlers  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 
The  cry  of  "Northern  Indians!"  never  failed  to  create  a 
panic.  They  made  many  marauding  expeditions  to  the 
south  in  their  large  and  splendid  canoes.  The  inferior 
tribes  of  the  sound  held  them  in  the  greatest  fear  and 
awe. 

A  child  usually  adopts  the  mother's  totem,  and  at  birth 
receives  a  name  significant  of  her  family.  Later  on  he 
receives  one  from  his  father's  family,  and  this  event  is 
always  attended  with  much  solemnity  and  ceremony. 

A  man  takes  wives  in  proportion  to  his  wealth.  If  he 
be  the  possessor  of  many  blankets,  he  takes  trouble  unto 
himself  by  the  dozen.  There  are  no  spring  bonnets, 
however,  to  buy.  They  do  not  indulge  themselves  with 
so  many  wives  as  formerly ;  nor  do  they  place  such  im- 
plicit faith  in  the  totem,  now  that  they  are  becoming 
"  Christianized." 

Dall  gives  the  following  interesting  description  of  a 
Thlinkit  wedding  ceremony  thirty  years  ago  :  A  lover 
sends  to  his  mistress's  relations,  asking  for  her  as  a  wife. 
If  he  receives  a  favorable  reply,  he  sends  as  many  presents 
as  he  can  get  together  to  her  father.  On  the  appointed 
day  he  goes  to  the  house  where  she  lives,  and  sits  down 
with  his  back  to  the  door. 

The  father  has  invited  all  the  relations,  who  now  raise 
a  song,  to  allure  the  coy  bride  out  of  the  corner  where  she 
has  been  sitting.  When  the  song  is  done,  furs  or  pieces 
of  new  calico  are  laid  on  the  floor,  and  she  walks  over 
them  and  sits  down  by  the  side  of  the  groom.  All  this 
time  she  must  keep  her  head  bowed  down.  Then  all  the 
guests  dance  and  sing,  diversifying  the  entertainment, 
when  tired,  by  eating.  The  pair  do  not  join  in  any  of  the 
ceremonies.  That  their  future  life  may  be  happy,  they 
fast  for  two  days  more.  Four  weeks  afterward  they  come 
together,  and  are  then  recognized  as  husband  and  wife. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  75 

The  bridegroom  is  free  to  live  with  his  father-in-law,  or 
return  to  his  own  home.  If  he  chooses  the  latter  the 
bride  receives  a  trousseau  equal  in  value  to  the  gifts 
received  by  her  parents  from  her  husband.  If  the  hus- 
band becomes  dissatisfied  with  his  wife,  he  can  send  her 
back  with  her  dowry,  but  loses  his  own  gifts.  If  a  wife 
is  unfaithful  he  may  send  her  back  with  nothing,  and 
demand  his  own  again.  They  may  separate  by  mutual 
consent  without  returning  any  property.  When  the 
marriage  festival  is  over,  the  silver  pin  is  removed  from 
the  lower  lip  of  the  bride  and  replaced  by  a  plug,  shaped 
like  a  spool,  but  not  over  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long, 
and  this  plug  is  afterward  replaced  by  a  larger  one  of 
wood,  bone,  or  stone,  so  that  an  old  woman  may  have  an 
ornament  of  this  kind  two  inches  in  diameter.  These 
large  ones  are  of  an  oval  shape,  but  scooped  out  above, 
below,  and  around  the  edge,  like  a  pulley-wheel.  When 
very  large,  a  mere  strip  of  flesh  goes  around  the  haMshka, 
or  "  little  trough."  From  the  name  which  the  Aleuts  gave 
the  appendage  when  they  first  visited  Sitka,  the  nick- 
name "  Kolosh  "  has  arisen,  and  has  been  applied  to  this 
and  allied  tribes. 

Many  years  ago,  when  a  man  died,  his  brother  or  his 
sister's  son  was  compelled  to  marry  the  widow. 

That  seems  worth  while.  Naturally,  the  man  would  not 
desire  the  woman,  and  the  woman  would  not  desire  the 
man ;  therefore,  the  result  of  the  forced  union  might 
prove  full  of  delightful  surprises.  If  such  a  law  could 
have  been  passed  in  England,  there  would  have  been  no 
occasion  for  the  prolonged  agitation  over  the  "Deceased 
wife's  sister  "  bill,  which  dragged  its  weary  way  through 
the  courts  and  the  papers.  Nobody  would  desire  to  marry 
his  deceased  wife's  sister ;  or,  if  he  did,  she  would  decline 
the  honor. 

An  ancient  Thlinkit  superstition  is,  that  once  a  man  — 


76  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

a  Thlinkit,  of  course  —  had  a  young  wife  whom  he  so 
idolized  that  he  would  not  permit  her  to  work.  This  is 
certainly  the  most  convincing  proof  that  an  Indian  could 
give  of  his  devotion.  From  morning  to  night  she  dwelt 
in  sweet  idleness,  guarded  by  eight  little  redbirds,  that 
flew  about  her  when  she  walked,  or  hovered  over  her  when 
she  reclined  upon  her  furs  or  preciously  woven  blankets. 

These  little  birds  were  good  spirits,  of  course,  but  alas ! 
they  resembled  somewhat  women  who  are  so  good  that 
out  of  their  very  goodness  evil  is  wrought.  In  the  town 
in  which  I  dwell  there  is  a  good  woman,  a  member  of  a 
church,  devout,  and  scorning  sin,  who  keeps  "roomers." 
On  two  or  three  occasions  this  good  woman  has  found  let- 
ters which  belonged  to  her  roomers,  and  she  has  done  what 
an  honorable  woman  would  not  do.  She  has  read  letters 
that  she  had  no  right  to  read,  and  she  has  found  therein 
secrets  that  would  wreck  families  and  bow  down  heads  in 
sorrow  to  their  graves ;  and  yet,  out  of  her  goodness,  she 
has  felt  it  to  be  her  duty  "  to  tell,"  and  she  has  told. 

Since  knowing  the  story  of  the  eight  little  Thlinkit  red- 
birds,  I  have  never  seen  this  woman  without  a  red  mist 
seeming  to  float  round  her ;  her  mouth  becomes  a  twitter- 
ing beak,  her  feet  are  claws  that  carry  her  noiselessly  into 
secret  places,  her  eyes  are  little  black  beads  that  flash  from 
side  to  side  in  search  of  other  people's  sins,  and  her  shoul- 
ders are  folded  wings.  For  what  did  the  little  good  red- 
birds  do  but  go  and  tell  the  Thlinkit  man  that  his  young 
and  pretty  and  idolized  wife  had  spoken  to  another  man. 
He  took  her  out  into  the  forest  and  shut  her  up  in  a  box. 
Then  he  killed  all  his  sister's  children  because  they  knew 
his  secret.  His  sister  went  in  lamentations  to  the  beach, 
where  she  was  seen  by  her  totem  whale,  who,  when  her 
cause  of  grief  was  made  known  to  him,  bade  her  be  of 
good  cheer.  • 

"  Swallow  a  small  stone,"  said  the  whale,  '•*  which  you 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  77 

must  pick  up  from  the  beach,  drinking  some  sea-water  at 
the  same  time." 

The  woman  did  as  the  whale  directed.  In  a  few  months 
she  gave  birtli  to  a  son,  whom  she  was  compelled  to  hide 
from  her  brother.  This  child  was  Yehl  (the  raven),  the 
beneficent  spirit  of  the  Thlinkits,  maker  of  forests,  moun- 
tains, rivers,  and  seas ;  the  one  who  guides  the  sun,  moon, 
and  stars,  and  controls  the  winds  and  floods.  His  abiding- 
place  is  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Nass  River,  whence  the 
Thlinkits  came  to  their  present  home.  Wlien  he  grew  up 
he  became  so  expert  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow 
that  it  is  told  of  his  mother  that  she  went  clad  in  the  rose, 
green,  and  lavender  glory  of  the  breasts  of  humming-birds 
which  he  had  killed  in  such  numbers  that  she  was  able  to 
fashion  her  entire  raiment  of  their  most  exquisite  parts, — 
as  befitted  the  mother  of  the  good  spirit  of  men. 

Yehl  performed  many  noble  and  miraculous  deeds,  the 
most  dazzling  of  which  was  the  giving  of  light  to  the 
world.  He  had  heard  that  a  rich  old  chief  kept  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  in  boxes,  carefully  locked  and  guarded. 
This  chief  had  an  only  daughter  whom  he  worshipped. 
He  would  allow  no  one  to  make  love  to  her,  so  Yehl,  per- 
ceiving that  only  a  descendant  of  the  old  man  could  secure 
access  to  the  boxes,  and  knowing  that  the  chief  examined 
all  his  daughter's  food  before  she  ate  it,  and  that  it  would 
therefore  avail  him  nothing  to  turn  himself  into  ordinary 
food,  conceived  the  idea  of  converting  himself  into  a 
fragrant  grass  and  by  springing  up  persistently  in  the 
maiden's  path,  he  was  one  day  eaten  and  swallowed.  A 
grandson  was  then  born  to  the  old  chief,  who  wrought 
upon  his  affections  —  as  grandsons  have  a  way  of  doing  — 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  could  deny  him  nothing. 

One  day  the  young  Yehl,  who  seems  to  have  been 
appropriately  named,  set  up  a  lamentation  for  the  boxes  he 
desired  and  continued  it  until  one  was  in  his  possession. 


78         ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

He  took  it  out-doors  and  opened  it.  Millions  of  little 
milk-white,  opaline  birds  instantly  flew  up  and  settled  in 
the  sky.  They  were  followed  by  a  large,  silvery  bird, 
which  was  so  heavy  and  uncertain  in  her  flight  to  the  sky 
that,  although  she  finally  reached  it,  she  never  appeared 
twice  the  same  thereafter,  and  on  some  nights  could  not 
be  seen  at  all.  The  old  chief  was  very  angry,  and  it  was 
not  until  Yehl  had  wept  and  fasted  himself  to  death's  very 
door  that  he  obtained  the  sun ;  whereupon,  he  changed 
himself  back  into  a  raven,  and  flying  away  from  the  reach 
of  his  stunned  and  temporary  grandfather,  who  had  com- 
manded him  not  to  open  the  box,  he  straightway  lifted 
the  lid  —  and  the  world  was  flooded  with  light. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  Thliukit  myths  is 
the  one  of  the  spirits  that  guard  and  obey  the  shamans. 
The  most  important  are  those  dwelling  in  the  North. 
They  were  warriors  ;  hence,  an  unusual  display  of  the 
northern  lights  was  considered  an  omen  of  approaching 
war.  The  other  spirits  are  of  people  who  died  a  common- 
place death ;  and  the  greatest  care  must  be  exercised  by 
relatives  in  mourning  for  these,  or  they  will  have  difficulty 
in  reaching  their  new  abode.  Too  many  tears  are  as  bad 
as  none  at  all ;  the  former  mistake  mires  and  gutters  the 
path,  the  latter  leaves  it  too  deep  in  dust.  A  decent 
and  comfortable  quantity  makes  it  hard  and  even  and 
pleasant. 

Their  deluge  myth  is  startling  in  its  resemblance  to 
ours.  When  their  flood  came  upon  them,  a  few  were  saved 
in  a  orreat  canoe  which  was  made  of  cedar.  This  wood 
splits  rather  easily,  parallel  to  its  grain,  under  stress  of 
storm,  and  the  one  in  which  the  people  embarked  split 
after  much  buffeting.  The  Thlinkits  clung  to  one  part, 
and  all  other  peoples  to  the  other  part,  creating  a  difference 
in  language.  Chet'l,  the  eagle,  was  separated  from  his 
sister,  to  whom  he  said,  "  You  may  never  see  me  again, 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  79 

but  you  shall  hear  ray  voice  forever."  He  changed  him- 
self into  a  bird  of  tremendous  size  and  flew  away  south- 
ward. The  sister  climbed  Mount  Edgecumbe,  which 
opened  and  swallowed  her,  leaving  a  hole  that  has  remained 
ever  since.  Earthquakes  are  caused  by  her  struggles  with 
bad  spirits  which  seek  to  drive  her  away,  and  by  her  in- 
variable triumph  over  them  she  sustains  the  poise  of  the 
world. 

Chet'l  returned  to  Mount  Edgecumbe,  where  he  still 
lives.  When  he  comes  forth,  which  is  but  seldom,  the 
flapping  of  his  great  wings  produces  the  sound  which  is 
called  thunder.  He  is,  therefore,  known  everywhere  as 
the  Thunder-bird.  The  glance  of  his  brilliant  eyes  is  the 
lightning. 

Concerning  the  totem-pole  which  was  taken  from  an 
Indian  village  on  Tongas  Island,  near  Ketchikan,  by  mem- 
bers of  the  Post-Litelligevicer  business  men's  excursion  to 
Alaska  in  1899  —  and  for  which  the  city  of  Seattle  was 
legally  compelled  to  pay  handsomely  afterward  —  the  fol- 
lowing letter  from  a  member  of  the  family  originally 
owning  the  totem  is  of  quaint  interest :  — 

"  I  have  received  your  letter,  and  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
the  story  of  the  totem-pole.  Now,  the  top  one  is  a  crow 
himself,  and  the  next  one  from  the  pole  top  is  a  man. 
That  crow  have  told  him  a  story.  Crow  have  told  him  a 
good-looking  woman  want  to  married  some  man.  So  he 
did  marry  her.  She  was  a  frog.  And  the  fourth  one  is  a 
mink.  One  time,  the  story  says,  that  one  time  it  was  a 
high  tide  for  some  time,  and  so  crow  got  marry  to  mink, 
so  crow  he  eats  any  kind  of  fishes  from  the  water.  After 
some  time  crow  got  tired  of  mink,  and  he  leave  her,  and 
he  get  married  to  that  whale-killer,  and  then  crow  he  have 
all  he  want  to  eat.  That  last  one  on  the  totem-pole  is  the 
father  of  the  crow.      The  story  says  that  one  time  it  got 


80  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

dark   for  a  long  wliile.     The  darkness  was  all  over  the 

world,  and  only  crow's  father  was  the  only  one  can  give 

light  to  the  world.     He  simply  got  a  key.     He  keeps  the 

sun  and  moon  in  a  chest,  that  one  time  crow  have  ask  his 

father  if  he  play  with  the  sun  and  moon  in  the  house  but, 

was  not  allowed,  so  he  start  crying  for  many  days  until  he 

was  sick.     So  his  father  let  him  play  with  it  and  he  have 

it  for  many  days.      And  one  day  he  let  the  moon  in  the 

sky  by  mistake,  but  he  keep  tlie  sun,  and  he  which  take 

time  before  he  could  get  his  chances  to  go  outside  of  the 

house.     As  soon  as  he  was  out  he  let  sun  back  to  the  sky 

again,  and  it  was  light  all  over  the  world  again.     (End  of 

storv.)  __  „  „ 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

"David  E.  Kinninnook. 

"  P.  S.  The  Indians  have  a  long  story,  and  one  of  the  chiefs 
of  a  village  or  of  a  tribe  only  a  chief  can  put  up  so  many 
carvings  on  our  totem-pole,  and  he  have  to  fully  know  the 
story  of  what  totem  he  is  made.  I  may  give  you  the  whole 
story  of  it  sometimes.  Crow  on  top  have  a  quart  moon 
in  his  mouth,  because  he  have  ask  his  father  for  a  light. 

"D.  E.  K. 

"  If  you  can  put  this  story  on  the  Post -Intelligencer,  of 
Seattle,  Wash.,  and  I  think  the  people  will  be  glad  to 
know  some  of  it." 

The  Thlinkits  burned  their  dead,  with  the  exception  of 
the  shamans,  but  carefully  preserved  the  ashes  and  all 
charred  bones  from  the  funeral  pyre.  These  were  carefully 
folded  in  new  blankets  and  buried  in  the  backs  of  totems. 
One  totem,  when  taken  down  to  send  to  the  Lewis  and 
Clark  Exposition,  was  found  to  contain  the  remains  of  a 
child  in  the  butt-end  of  the  pole  which  was  in  the  ground  ; 
the  portion  containing  the  child  being  sawed  off  and 
reinterred. 


ALA  SEA :     THE    GE EA T    COUNTRY  81 

A  totem-pole  donated  to  the  exposition  by  Yannate,  a 
very  old  Thlinkit,  was  made  by  his  own  hands  in  honor  of 
his  mother.  His  mother  belonged  to  the  Raven  Clan, 
and  a  large  raven  is  at  the  crest  of  tlie  pole ;  under  it  is 
the  brown  bear  —  the  totem  of  the  Kokwonton  Tribe,  to 
which  the  woman's  husband  belonged ;  underneath  the 
bear  is  an  Indian  with  a  cane,  representing  the  woman's 
brother,  who  was  a  noted  shaman  or  sorcerer  many  years 
ago ;  at  the  bottom  are  two  faces,  or  masks,  representing 
the  shaman's  favorite  slaves. 

The  Haidahs  did  not  burn  their  dead,  but  buried  them, 
usually  in  the  butts  of  great  cedars.  Frequently,  however, 
they  were  buried  at  the  base  of  totem-poles,  and  when  in 
recent  years  poles  have  been  removed,  remains  have  been 
found  and  reinterred. 

On  the  backs  of  some  of  the  old  totem-poles  at  Wrangell 
and  other  places,  may  be  seen  the  openings  that  were  made 
to  receive  the  ashes  of  the  dead,  the  portion  that  had  been 
sawed  out  being  afterward  replaced. 

The  wealth  of  a  Thlinkit  is  estimated  according  to  his 
number  of  blankets  ;  his  honor  and  importance  by  the 
number  of  potlatches  he  has  given.  Every  member  of  his 
totem  is  called  upon  to  contribute  to  the  potlatch  of  the 
chief,  working  to  that  end,  and  "  skimping "  himself  in 
his  own  indulgences  for  that  object,  for  many  years,  if 
necessary.  The  potlatch  is  given  at  the  full  of  the  moon  ; 
the  chief's  clan  and  totem  decline  all  gifts ;  it  is  not  in 
good  form  for  any  member  thereof  to  accept  the  slightest 
gift.  Guests  are  seated  and  treated  according  to  their 
rights,  and  the  resentment  of  a  slight  is  not  postponed 
until  the  banquet  is  over  and  the  blood  has  cooled.  An 
immediate  fight  to  the  bitter  end  is  the  result ;  so  that  the 
greatest  care  is  exercised  in  this  nice  matter  —  which  has 
proven  a  pitfall  to  many  a  white  hostess  in  the  most  civil- 
ized lands ;  so  seldom  does  a  guest  have  the  right  and  tlie 


82  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

honor  to  feel  that  where  he  sits  is  the  head  of  the  table. 
At  these  potlatches  a  "  frenzied "  hospitality  prevails  ; 
everything  is  bestowed  with  a  lavish  and  reckless  hand 
upon  the  visitors,  from  food  and  drink  to  the  host's  most 
precious  possession,  blankets.  His  wives  are  given  freely, 
and  without  the  pang  which  must  go  with  every  blanket. 
Visitors  come  and  remain  for  days,  or  until  the  host  is 
absolutely  beggared  and  has  nothing  more  to  give. 

But  since  every  one  accepting  his  potlatch  is  not  only 
expected,  but  actually  bound  by  tribal  laws  as  fixed  as 
the  stars,  to  return  it,  the  beggared  chief  gradually  "  stocks 
up  "  again ;  and  in  a  few  years  is  able  to  launch  forth 
brilliantly  once  more.  This  is  the  same  system  of  give 
and  take  that  prevails  in  polite  society  in  the  matter  of 
party-giving.  With  neither,  may  the  custom  be  con- 
sidered as  real  hospitality,  but  simply  a  giving  with  the 
expectation  of  a  sure  return.  Chiefs  have  frequently, 
however,  given  away  fortunes  of  many  thousands  of 
dollars  within  a  few  days.  These  were  chiefs  who  aspired 
to  rise  high  above  their  contemporaries  in  glory;  and, 
therefore,  would  be  disaj)pointed  to  have  their  generosity 
equally  returned. 

A  shaman  is  a  medicine-man  who  is  popularly  supposed 
to  be  possessed  of  supernatural  powers.  A  certain 
mystery,  or  mysticism,  is  connected  with  him.  He  spends 
much  time  in  the  solitudes  of  the  mountains,  working 
himself  into  a  highly  emotional  mental  state.  The  shaman 
has  his  special  masks,  carved  ivory  diagnosis-sticks,  and 
other  paraphernalia.  The  hair  of  the  shaman  was  never 
cut ;  at  his  death,  his  body  was  not  burned,  but  was  in- 
variably placed  in  a  box  on  four  high  posts.  It  first 
reposed  for  one  whole  night  in  each  of  the  four  corners 
of  the  house  in  which  he  died.  On  the  fifth  day  it  was 
laid  to  rest  by  the  sea-shore ;  and  every  time  a  Thlinkit 
passed  it,  he  tossed  a  small   offering  into    the  water,  to 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  83 

secure  the  favor  of  the  dead  shaman,  who,  even  in  death, 
was  believed  to  exercise  an  influence  over  the  living,  for 
good  or  ill. 

Slavery  was  common,  as  —  until  the  coming  of  the 
Russians  —  was  cannibalism.  The  slaves  were  captives 
from  other  tribes.  They  were  forced  to  perform  the  most 
disagreeable  duties,  and  were  subjected  to  cruel  treatment, 
punished  for  trivial  faults,  and  frequently  tortured,  or 
offered  in  sacrifice.  A  few  very  old  slaves  are  said  to  be 
in  existence  at  the  present  time  ;  but  they  are  now  treated 
kindly,  and  have  almost  forgotten  that  their  condition  is 
inferior  to  that  of  the  remainder  of  the  tribe. 

The  most  famous  slaves  on  the  Northwest  Coast  were 
John  Jewitt  and  John  Thompson,  sole  survivors  of  the 
crew  of  the  Boston,  which  was  captured  in  1802  by  the 
Indians  of  Nootka  Sound,  on  the  western  coast  of  Van- 
couver Island.  The  officers  and  all  the  other  men  were 
most  foully  murdered,  and  the  ship  was  burned. 

Jewitt  and  Thompson  were  spared  because  one  was  an 
armorer  and  the  other  a  sailmaker.  They  were  held 
as  slaves  for  nearly  three  years,  when  they  made  their 
escape. 

Jewitt  published  a  book,  in  which  he  simply  and  effec- 
tively described  many  of  the  curious,  cruel,  and  amusing 
customs  of  the  people.  The  two  men  finally  made  their 
escape  upon  a  boat  which  had  appeared  unexpectedly  in 
the  harbor. 

The  Yakutats  belong  to  the  Thlinkit  stock,  but  have 
never  worn  the  "  little  trough,"  the  distinguishing  mark 
of  the  true  Thlinkit.  They  inhabit  the  country  between 
Mount  Fairweather  and  Mount  St.  Elias,  and  were  the 
cause  of  much  trouble  and  disaster  to  Baranoff,  Lisiansky, 
and  other  early  Russians.  They  have  never  adopted  the 
totem ;  and  may,  therefore,  eat  the  flesh  and  blubber  of 


84  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUyTRY 

the  whale,  which  the  Thlinkits  respect,  because  it  figures 
on  their  totems.  The  graveyards  of  the  Yakutats  are 
very  picturesque  and  interesting. 

The  tribes  of  the  Tinneh,  or  interior  Indians,  will  be 
considered  in  another  chapter. 

Behm  Canal  is  narrow,  abruptly  shored,  and  offers 
many  charming  vistas  that  unfold  unexpectedly  before 
the  tourist's  eyes.  Alaskan  steamers  do  not  enter  it  and, 
therefore.  New  Eddystone  Rock  is  missed  by  many.  This 
is  a  rocky  pillar  that  rises  straight  from  the  water,  with 
a  circumference  of  about  one  hundred  feet  at  the  base 
and  a  height  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet.  It  is 
draped  gracefully  with  mosses,  ferns,  and  vines.  Van- 
couver breakfasted  here,  and  named  it  for  the  famous 
Eddystone  Light  of  England.  Unuk  River  empties  its 
foaming,  glacial  waters  into  Behm  Canal. 


CHAPTER   VI 

Leaving  Ketcliikan,  Clarence  Strait  is  entered.  This 
was  named  by  Vancouver  for  the  Duke  of  Clarence, 
and  extends  in  a  northwesterly  direction  for  a  hundred 
miles.  The  celebrated  Stikine  River  empties  into  it. 
On  Wrangell  Island,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Stikine,  is 
Fort  Wrangell,  where  the  steamer  makes  a  stop  of  several 
hours. 

Fort  Wrangell  was  the  first  settlement  made  in  south- 
eastern Alaska,  after  Sitka.  It  was  established  in  1834, 
by  Lieutenant  Zarembo,  who  acted  under  the  orders  of 
Baron  Wrangell,  Governor  of  the  Colonies  at  that  time. 

A  grave  situation  had  arisen  over  a  dispute  between  the 
Russian  American  Company  and  the  equally  powerful 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  the  latter  having  pressed  its 
operations  over  the  Northwest  and  seriously  undermined 
the  trade  of  the  former.  In  1825,  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany had  taken  advantage  of  the  clause  in  the  Anglo- 
Russian  treaty  of  that  year,  —  which  provided  for  the  free 
navigation  of  streams  crossing  Russian  territory  in  their 
course  from  the  British  possessions  to  the  sea,  —  and  had 
pushed  its  trading  operations  to  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Stikine,  and  in  1833  had  outfitted  the  brig  Dryad  with 
colonists,  cattle,  and  arms  for  the  establishing  of  trading 
posts  on  the  Stikine. 

Lieutenant  Zarembo,  Avith  two  armed  vessels,  the  Chi- 
ehagoff  and  the  Chilkaht,  established  a  fort  on  a  small 
peninsula,  on  the  site  of  an  Indian  village,  and  named  it 

85 


86  ALASKA  :     THE    GEEAT    COUNTRY 

Redoubt  St.  Dionysius.  All  unaware  of  these  significant 
movements,  the  JJrt/ad,  approaching  the  mouth  of  the 
Stikine,  was  received  by  shots  from  the  shore,  as  well  as 
from  a  vessel  in  the  harbor.  She  at  once  put  back  until 
out  of  range,  and  anchored.  Lieutenant  Zarembo  went 
out  in  a  boat,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  Governor  and  the 
Emperor,  forbade  the  entrance  of  a  British  vessel  into  the 
river.  Representations  from  the  agents  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  were  unavailing ;  they  were  warned  to  at 
once  remove  themselves  and  their  vessel  from  the  vicinity 
—  which  they  accordingly  did. 

This  affair  was  the  cause  of  serious  trouble  between  the 
two  nations,  which  was  not  settled  until  1839,  when  a 
commission  met  in  London  and  solved  the  difficulties  by 
deciding  that  Russia  should  pay  an  indemnity  of  twenty 
thousand  pounds,  and  lease  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
the  now  celebrated  lisiere,  or  thirty-mile  strip  from  Dixon 
Entrance  to  Yakutat. 

In  1840  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  raised  the  British 
flag  and  changed  the  name  from  Redoubt  St.  Dionysius 
to  Fort  Stikine.  Sir  George  Simpson's  men  are  said  to 
have  passed  several  years  of  most  exciting  and  adventu- 
rous life  there,  owing  to  the  attacks  and  besiegements  of 
the  neighboring  Indians.  An  attempt  to  scale  the  stock- 
ade resulted  in  failure  and  defeat.  The  following  year 
the  fort's  supply  of  water  was  cut  off  and  the  fort  was 
besieged  ;  but  the  Britishers  saved  themselves  by  luckily 
seizing  a  chief  as  hostage. 

A  year  later  occurred  another  attack,  in  which  the  fort 
would  have  fallen  had  it  not  been  for  the  happy  arrival  of 
two  armed  vessels  in  charge  of  Sir  George  Simpson,  who 
tells  the  story  in  this  brief  and  simple  fashion :  — 

"  By  daybreak  on  Monday,  the  25th  of  April  (1842),  we 
were  in  Wrangell's  Straits,  and  toward  evening,  as  we  ap- 
proached Stikine,  my  apprehensions  were   awakened  by 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  87 

observing  the  two  national  flags,  the  Russian  and  the 
English,  hoisted  half-mast  high,  while,  on  landing  about 
seven,  my  worst  fears  were  realized  by  hearing  of  the 
tragical  end  of  Mr.  John  McLoughlin,  Jr.,  the  gentleman 
recently  in  charge.  On  the  night  of  the  twentietli  a  dis- 
pute had  arisen  in  the  fort,  while  some  of  the  men,  as  I 
was  grieved  to  hear,  were  in  a  state  of  intoxication ;  and 
several  shots  were  fired,  by  one  of  which  Mr.  McLoughlin 
fell.  My  arrival  at  this  critical  juncture  was  most  oppor- 
tune, for  otherwise  the  fort  might  have  fallen  a  sacrifice 
to  the  savages,  who  were  assembled  round  to  the  number 
of  two  thousand,  justly  thinking  that  the  place  could 
make  but  a  feeble  resistance,  deprived  as  it  was  of  its 
head,  and  garrisoned  by  men  in  a  state  of  complete  insub- 
ordination." 

In  1867  a  United  States  military  post  was  established 
on  a  new  site.  A  large  stockade  was  erected  and  gar- 
risoned by  two  companies  of  the  Twenty-first  Infantry. 
This  post  was  abandoned  in  1870,  the  buildings  being  sold 
for  six  hundred  dollars. 

In  the  early  eighties  Lieutenant  Schwatka  found  Wran- 
gell  "  the  most  tumble-down-hjoking  company  of  cabins  I 
ever  saw."  He  found  its  "Chinatown"  housed  in  an  old 
Stikine  River  steamboat  on  the  beach,  which  had  descended 
to  its  low  estate  as  gradually  and  almost  as  imperceptibly 
as  Becky  Sharpe  descended  to  the  "  soiled  white  petticoat " 
condition  of  life.  As  Queen  of  the  Stikine,  the  old  steamer 
had  earned  several  fortunes  for  her  owners  in  that  river's 
heyday  times  ;  then  she  was  beached  and  used  as  a  store  ; 
then,  as  a  hotel ;  and,  last  of  all,  as  a  Chinese  mess-  and 
lodging-house. 

In  1838  another  attempt  had  been  made  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  to  establish  a  trading  post  at  Dease  Lake, 
about  sixty  miles  from  Stikine  River  and  a  hundred  and 
fifty  from  the  sea.     This  attempt  also  was  a  failure.     The 


88  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tortures  of  fear  and  starvation  were  vividly  described  by 
Mr,  Robert  Campbell,  who  had  charge  of  the  party  mak- 
ing the  attempt,  which  consisted  of  four  men. 

"•  We  passed  a  winter  of  constant  dread  from  the  savage 
Russian  Indians,  and  of  much  suffering  from  starvation. 
We  were  dependent  for  subsistence  on  what  animals  we 
could  catch,  and,  failing  that,  on  tripe  de  roche  (moss). 
We  were  at  one  time  reduced  to  such  dire  straits  that  we 
were  obliged  to  eat  our  parchment  windows,  and  our  last 
meal  before  abandoning  Dease  Lake,  on  the  eighth  of  May, 
1839,  consisted  of  the  lacings  of  our  snow-shoes." 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  and  the  hospitality  of 
the  female  chiei  of  the  Nahany  tribe  of  Indians,  who  in- 
habited the  region,  the  party  would  have  perished. 

The  Indians  of  the  coast  in  early  days  made  long  trad- 
ing excursions  into  the  interior,  to  obtain  furs. 

The  discovery  of  the  Cassiar  mines,  at  the  head  of  the 
Stikine,  was  responsible  for  the  revival  of  excitement  and 
lawlessness  in  Fort  Wrangell,  as  it  had  been  named  at  the 
time  of  its  first  military  occupation,  and  a  company  of  the 
Fourth  Artillery  was  placed  in  charge  until  1877,  the  date 
of  the  removal  of  troops  from  all  posts  in  Alaska. 

The  first  post  and  the  ground  upon  which  it  stood  were 
sold  to  W.  K.  Lear.  The  next  company  occupied  it  at  a 
very  small  rental,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  owner. 
In  1884  the  Treasury  Department  took  possession,  claim- 
ing that  the  first  sale  was  illegal.  A  deputy  collector  was 
placed  in  charge.  The  case  was  taken  into  the  courts, 
l3ut  it  was  not  until  1890  that  a  decision  was  rendered  in 
the  Sitka  court  that,  as  the  first  sale  was  unconstitutional, 
Mr.  Lear  was  entitled  to  his  six  hundred  dollars  with 
interest  compounding  for  twenty  years. 

Wrangell  gradually  fell  into  a  storied  and  picturesque 
decay.  The  burnished  halo  of  early  romance  has  always 
clung  to  her.     At  the  time  of  the  gold  excitement  and 


ALASKA:    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY  89 

the  rush  to  the  Klondike,  the  town  revived  suddenly  with 
the  reopening  of  navigation  on  the  Stikine.  This  was,  at 
first,  a  favorite  route  to  the  Klondike.  At  White  Horse 
may  to-day  be  seen  steamers  which  were  built  on  the 
Stikine  in  1898,  floated  by  piecemeal  up  that  river  and 
across  Lake  Teslin,  and  down  the  Hootalinqua  River  to 
the  Yukon,  having  been  packed  by  horses  the  many  inter- 
vening miles  between  rivers  and  lakes,  at  fifty  cents  a 
pound.  Reaching  their  destination  at  White  Horse,  they 
were  put  together,  and  started  on  the  Dawson  run. 

Looking  at  these  historic  steamers,  now  lying  idle  at 
White  Horse,  the  passenger  and  freight  rates  do  not  seem 
so  exorbitant  as  they  do  before  one  comes  to  understand 
the  tremendous  difficulties  of  securing  any  transportation 
at  all  in  these  unknown  and  largely  unexplored  regions 
in  so  short  a  time.  Even  a  person  who  owns  no  stock  in 
steamship  or  railway  corporations,  if  he  be  sensible  and 
reasonable,  must  be  able  to  see  the  point  of  view  of  the 
men  who  dauntlessly  face  such  hardships  and  perils  to 
furnish  transportation  in  these  wild  and  inaccessible 
places.  They  take  such  desperate  chances  neither  for 
their  health  nor  for  sweet  charity's  sake. 

Three  years  ago  Wrangell  was  largely  destroyed  by 
fire.  It  is  partially  rebuilt,  but  the  visitor  to-day  is 
doomed  to  disappointment  at  first  sight  of  the  modern 
frontier  buildings.  Ruins  of  the  old  fort,  however,  re- 
main, and  several  ancient  totems  are  in  the  direction  of 
the  old  burial  ground.  One,  standing  in  front  of  a 
modern  cottage  which  has  been  erected  on  the  site  of 
the  old  lodge,  is  all  sprouted  out  in  green.  Mosses, 
grasses,  and  ferns  spring  in  April  freshness  out  of  the 
eyes  of  children,  the  beaks  of  eagles,  and  the  open  mouths 
of  frogs ;  while  the  very  crest  of  the  totem  is  crowned  a 
foot  or  more  high  with  a  green  growth.  The  effect  is  at 
once  ludicrous  and   pathetic,  —  marking,  as  it  does,  the 


90         ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

vanishing  of  a  picturesque  and  interesting  race,  its  cus- 
toms and  its  superstitions. 

The  famous  chief  of  the  Stikine  region  was  Shakes,  a 
fierce,  fighting,  bloodtliirsty  old  autocrat,  dreaded  by  all 
other  tribes,  and  insulted  with  impunity  by  none.  He 
was  at  the  height  of  his  power  in  the  forties,  but  lived  for 
many  years  afterward,  resisting  the  advances  of  mis- 
sionaries and  scorning  their  religion  to  the  day  of  his 
death.  In  many  respects  he  was  like  the  equally  famous 
Skowl  of  Kasa-an,  who  went  to  the  trouble  and  the  ex- 
pense of  erecting  a  totem-pole  for  the  sole  purpose  of  per- 
petuating his  scorn  and  derision  of  Christian  advances  to 
his  people.  The  totem  is  said  to  have  been  covered  with 
the  images  of  priests,  angels,  and  books. 

Shakes  was  given  one  of  the  most  brilliant  funerals 
ever  held  in  Alaska ;  but  whether  as  an  expression  of 
irreconcilable  grief  or  of  uncontrollable  joy  in  the  escape 
of  his  people  from  his  tyrannic  and  overbearing  sway,  is 
not  known.  He  belonged  to  the  bear  totem,  and  a  stuffed 
bear  figured  in  the  pageant  and  was  left  to  guard  his 
grave. 

The  climate  of  Wrangell  is  charming,  owing  to  the  high 
mountains  on  the  islands  to  the  westward  which  shelter 
the  town  from  the  severity  of  the  ocean  storms.  The 
growing  of  vegetables  and  berries  is  a  profitable  invest- 
ment, both  reaching  enormous  size,  the  latter  being  of 
specially  delicate  flavor.     Flowers  bloom  luxuriantly. 

The  Wrangell  shops  at  present  contain  some  very  fine 
specimens  of  basketry,  and  the  prices  were  very  reason- 
able, although  most  of  the  tourists  from  our  steamer  were 
speechless  when  they  heard  them.  Some  real  Attu  and 
Atka  baskets  were  found  here  at  prices  ranging  from  one 
hundred  dollars  up.  At  Wrangell,  therefore,  the  tourist 
begins  to  part  with  his  money,  and  does  not  cease  until 
he  has  reached  Skaguay  to  the  northward,  or  Sitka  and 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  91 

Yakutat  to  the  westward  ;  and  if  he  should  journey  out 
into  the  Aleutian  Isles,  he  may  borrow  money  to  get 
home.  The  weave  displaj^ed  is  mostly  twined,  but  some 
fine  specimens  of  coiled  and  coiled  imbricated  were  offered 
us  in  the  dull,  fascinating  colors  used  by  the  Thompson 
River  Indians  of  British  Columbia,  having  probably  been 
obtained  in  trade.  These  latter  are  treasures,  and  always 
worth  buying,  especially  as  Indian  baskets  are  increasing 
in  value  with  every  year  that  passes.  Baskets  that  I  pur- 
chased easily  for  three  dollars  or  three  and  a  half  in  1905 
were  held  stubbornly  at  seven  and  a  half  or  eight  in  1907  ; 
while  the  difference  in  prices  of  the  more  expensive  ones 
was  even  greater. 

Squaws  sit  picturesquely  about  the  streets,  clad  in  gay 
colors,  with  their  wares  spread  out  on  the  sidewalk  in 
front  of  them.  They  invariablj^  sit  with  their  backs 
against  buildings  or  fences,  seeming  to  have  an  aversion 
to  permitting  any  one  to  stand  or  pass  behind  them. 
They  have  grown  very  clever  at  bargaining ;  and  the 
little  trick,  which  has  been  practised  by  tourists  for  years, 
of  waiting  until  the  gangway  is  being  hauled  in  and  then 
making  an  offer  for  a  coveted  basket,  has  apparently  been 
worn  threadbare,  and  is  received  with  jeers  and  derision, 
—  which  is  rather  discomfiting  to  the  person  making  the 
offer  if  he  chances  to  be  upon  a  crowded  steamer.  The 
squaws  point  their  fingers  at  him,  to  shame  him,  and 
chuckle  and  tee-hee  among  themselves,  with  many  gut- 
tural duckings  and  side-glances  so  good-naturedly  con- 
temptuous and  derisive  as  to  be  embarrassing  beyond 
words,  —  particularly  as  some  greatly  desired  basket  dis- 
appears into  a  filthy  bag  and  is  borne  proudly  away  on  a 
scornful  dark  shoulder. 

Baskets  are  growing  scarcer  and  more  valuable,  and 
the  tourist  who  sees  one  that  he  desires,  will  be  wise  to 
pay  the  price  demanded  for  it,  as  the  conditions  of  trad- 


92  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ing  with  the  Alaskan  Indians  are  rapidly  changing.  The 
younger  Indians  frequently  speak  and  understand  Eng- 
lish perfectly ;  while  the  older  ones  are  adepts  in  reading 
a  human  face  ;  making  a  combination  not  easily  imposed 
upon.  Even  the  officers  of  the  ship,  who,  being  ac- 
quainted with  "  Mollie  "  or  "  Sallie,"  "  Mrs.  Sam  "  or 
"  Pete's  Wife,"  volunteer  to  buy  a  basket  at  a  reduction 
for  some  enthusiastic  but  thin-pursed  passenger,  do  not 
at  present  meet  with  any  exhilarating  success. 

"  S'pose  she  pay  my  price,"  "  Mrs.  Sam  "  replies,  with 
smiling  but  stubborn  indifference,  as  she  sets  the  basket 
away. 


CHAPTER   VII 

Indian  basketry  is  poetry,  music,  art,  and  life  itself 
woven  exquisitely  together  out  of  dreams,  and  sent  out 
into  a  thoughtless  world  in  appealing  messages  which 
will  one  day  be  farewells,  when  the  poor  lonely  dark 
women  who  wove  them  are  no  more. 

At  its  best,  the  basketry  of  the  islands  of  Atka  and 
Attn  in  the  Aleutian  chain  is  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
world.  Most  of  the  basketry  now  sold  as  Attn  is  woven 
by  the  women  of  Atka,  we  were  told  at  Unalaska,  which 
is  the  nearest  market  for  these  baskets.  Only  one  old 
woman  remains  on  Attn  who  understands  this  delicate 
and  priceless  work ;  and  she  is  so  poorly  paid  that  she 
was  recently  reported  to  be  in  a  starving  condition,  al- 
though the  velvety  creations  of  her  old  hands  and  brain 
bring  fabulous  prices  to  some  one.  The  saying  that  an 
Attn  basket  increases  a  dollar  for  every  mile  as  it  travels 
toward  civilization,  is  not  such  an  exaggeration  as  it 
seems.  I  saw  a  trader  from  the  little  steamer  Dora  —  the 
only  one  regularly  plying  those  far  waters  —  buy  a  small 
basket,  no  larger  than  a  pint  bowl,  for  live  dollars  in 
Unalaska ;  and  a  month  later,  on  another  steamer,  between 
Valdez  and  Seattle,  an  enthusiastic  young  man  from  New 
York  brought  the  same  basket  out  of  his  stateroom  and 
proudly  displayed  it. 

"  I  got  this  one  at  a  great  bargain,"  he  bragged,  with 
shining  eyes.  "I  bought  it  in  Valdez  for  twenty-five 
dollars,  just  what  it  cost  at  Unalaska.     The  man  needed 

93 


94  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

the  money  worse  than  the  basket.  I  don't  know  how  it 
is,  but  I'm  always  stumbling  on  bargains  like  that!"  he 
concluded,  beginning  to  strut. 

Then  I  was  heartless  enough  to  laugh,  and  to  keep  on 
laughing.     I  had  greatly  desired  that  basket  myself ! 

He  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing,  however,  that  his 
little  twined  bowl,  with  the  coloring  of  a  Behring  Sea 
sunset  woven  into  it,  would  be  worth  fifty  dollars  by  the 
time  he  reached  Seattle,  and  at  least  a  hundred  in  New 
York;  and  it  was  so  soft  and  flexible  that  he  could  fokl 
it  up  meantime  and  carry  it  in  his  pocket,  if  he  chose, —  to 
say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  Elizabeth  Propokoffono,  the 
young  and  famed  dark-eyed  weaver  of  Atka,  may  have 
woven  it  herself.  Like  the  renowned  "  Sally-bags,"  made 
by  Sally,  a  Wasco  squaw,  the  baskets  woven  by  Elizabeth 
have  a  special  and  sentimental  value.  If  she  would  weave 
her  initials  into  them,  she  might  ask,  and  receive,  any  price 
she  fancied.  Sally,  of  the  Wascos,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
very  old ;  no  one  weaves  her  special  bag,  and  they  are  be- 
coming rare  and  valuable.  They  are  of  plain,  twined 
weaving,  and  are  very  coarse.  A  small  one  in  the  writer's 
possession  is  adorned  with  twelve  fishes,  six  eagles,  three 
dogs,  and  two  and  a  half  men.  Sally  is  apparently  a 
woman-suffragist  of  the  old  school,  and  did  not  consider 
that  men  counted  for  much  in  the  scheme  of  Indian 
baskets ;  yet,  being  a  philosopher,  as  well  as  a  suffragist, 
concluded  that  half  a  man  was  better  than  none  at  all. 

At  Yakutat  "Mrs.  Pete"  is  the  best-known  basket 
weaver.  Young,  handsome,  dark-eyed,  and  clean,  with  a 
chubby  baby  in  her  arms,  she  willingly,  and  with  great 
gravity,  posed  against  the  pilot-house  of  the  old  Santa 
Ana  for  her  picture.  Asked  for  an  address  to  which  I 
might  send  one  of  the  pictures,  she  proudly  replied,  "  Just 
Mrs.  Pete,  Yakutat."  Her  courtesy  was  in  marked  con- 
trast  to   the  exceeding  rudeness  with  which  the  Sitkan 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  95 

women  treat  even  the  most  considerate  and  deferential 
photographers;  glaring  at  them,  turning  their  backs, 
covering  their  heads,  hissing,  and  even  spitting  at  them. 

However,  the  Yakutats  do  not  often  see  tourists,  who, 
heaven  knows,  are  not  one  of  the  novelties  of  the  Sitkans' 
lives. 

According  to  Lieutenant  G.  T.  Emmons,  who  is  the 
highest  authority  on  Thlinkit  Indians,  not  only  so  far  as 
their  basketry  is  concerned,  but  their  history,  habits,  and 
customs,  as  well,  nine-tenths  of  all  their  basketwork  is  of 
the  open,  cylindrical  type  which  throws  the  chief  wear 
and  strain  upon  the  borders.  These  are,  therefore,  of 
greater  variety  than  those  of  any  other  Indians,  except 
possibly  the  Haidahs. 

As  I  have  elsewhere  stated,  nearly  all  Thlinkit  baskets 
are  of  the  twined  weave,  which  is  clearly  described  by 
Otis  Tufton  Mason  in  liis  precious  and  exquisite  work, 
"  Aboriginal  American  Basketrj^ " ;  a  work  which  every 
student  of  basketry  should  own.  If  anything  could  be  as 
fascinating  as  the  basketry  itself,  it  would  be  this  charm- 
ingly written  and  charmingly  illustrated  book. 

Basketry  is  either  hand-woven  or  sewed.  Hand-woven 
work  is  divided  into  checker  work,  twilled  work,  wicker 
work,  wrapped  work,  and  twined  work.  Sewed  work  is 
called  coiled  basketry. 

Twined  work  is  found  on  the  Pacific  Coast  from  Attu 
to  Chile,  and  is  the  most  delicate  and  difficult  of  all  woven 
work.  It  has  a  set  of  warp  rods,  and  the  weft  elements 
are  worked  in  by  two-strand  or  three-strand  methods. 
Passing  from  warp  to  warp,  these  weft  elements  are 
twisted  in  half-turns  on  each  other,  so  as  to  form  a  two- 
strand  or  three-strand  twine  or  braid,  and  usually  with  a 
deftness  that  keeps  the  glossy  side  of  the  weft  outward. 

"The  Thlinkit,  weaving,"  says  Lieutenant  Emmons, 
"  sits  with  knees  updrawn  to  the  chin,  feet  close  to  the 


96  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

body,  bent-shouldered,  with  the  arms  around  the  knees, 
the  work  held  in  front.  Sometimes  the  knees  fall  slightly 
apart,  the  work  held  between  them,  the  weft  frequently 
held  in  the  mouth,  the  feet  easily  crossed.  The  basket  is 
held  bottom  down.  In  all  kinds  of  weave,  the  strands 
are  constantly  dampened  by  dipping  the  fingers  in  water." 
The  finest  work  of  Attn  and  Atka  is  woven  entirely  under 
water.  A  rude  awl,  a  bear's  claw  or  tooth,  are  the  only 
implements  used.  The  Attn  weaver  has  her  basket  in- 
verted and  suspended  by  a  string,  working  from  the  bot- 
tom down  toward  the  top. 

Almost  every  part  of  plants  is  used  —  roots,  stems, 
bark,  leaves,  fruit,  and  seeds.  The  following  are  the 
plants  chiefly  used  by  the  Thlinkits :  The  black  shining 
stems  of  the  maidenhair  fern,  which  are  easily  distin- 
guished and  which  add  a  rich  touch ;  the  split  stems  of 
the  brome-grass  as  an  overlaying  material  for  the  white 
patterns  of  spruce-root  baskets  ;  for  the  same  purpose,  the 
split  stem  of  bluejoint;  the  stem  of  wood  reed-grass;  the 
stem  of  tufted  hair-grass  ;  the  stem  of  beech-rye  ;  the  root 
of  horsetail,  which  works  in  a  rich  purple  ;  wolf  moss, 
boiled  for  canary-yellow  dye  ;  manna-grass  ;  root  of  the 
Sitka  spruce  tree  ;  juice  of  the  blueberry  for  a  purple  dye. 

The  Attu  weaver  uses  the  stems  and  leaves  of  grass, 
having  no  trees  and  few  plants.  When  she  wants  the 
grass  white,  it  is  cut  in  November  and  hung,  points  down, 
out-doors  to  dry  ;  if  yellow  be  desired,  as  it  usually  is,  it  is 
cut  in  July  and  the  two  youngest  full-grown  blades  are 
cut  out  and  split  into  three  pieces,  the  middle  one  being 
rejected  and  the  others  hung  up  to  dry  out-doors  ;  if  green 
is  wanted,  the  grass  is  prepared  as  for  yellow,  except  that 
the  first  two  weeks  of  curing  is  carried  on  in  the  heavy 
shade  of  thick  grasses,  then  it  is  taken  into  the  house 
and  dried.  Curing  requires  about  a  month,  during  which 
time  the  sun  is  never  permitted  to  touch  the  grass. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  97 

Ornamentation  by  means  of  color  is  wrought  by  the 
use  of  materials  which  are  naturally  of  a  different  color ; 
by  the  use  of  dyed  materials ;  by  overlaying  the  weft  and 
warp  with  strips  of  attractive  material  before  weaving ; 
by  embroidering  on  the  texture  during  the  process  of 
manufacture,  this  being  termed  "  false  "  embroidery  ;  by 
covering  the  texture  with  plaiting,  called  imbrication ;  by 
the  addition  of  feathers,  beads,  shells,  and  objects  of  like 
nature. 

Some  otherwise  fine  specimens  of  Atkan  basketry  are 
rendered  valueless,  in  my  judgment,  by  the  present  custom 
of  introducing  flecks  of  gaily  dyed  wool,  the  matcliless 
beauty  of  these  baskets  lying  in  their  delicate,  even  weav- 
ing, and  in  their  exquisite  natural  coloring —  the  faintest 
old  rose,  lavender,  green,  3^ellow  and  purple  being  woven 
together  in  one  ravishing  mist  of  elusive  splendor.  So 
enchanting  to  the  real  lover  of  basketry  are  the  creations 
of  those  far  lonely  women's  hands  and  brains,  that  they 
seem  fairly  to  breathe  out  their  loveliness  upon  the  air,  as 
a  rose. 

This  basketry  was  first  introduced  to  the  world  in  1874, 
by  William  H.  Dall,  to  whom  Alaska  and  those  who  love 
Alaska  owe  so  much.  Warp  and  weft  are  both  of  beach 
grass  or  wild  rye.  One  who  has  never  seen  a  fine  speci- 
men of  these  baskets  has  missed  one  of  the  joys  of  this 
world. 

The  Aleuts  perpetuate  no  story  or  myth  in  their  orna- 
mentation. With  them  it  is  art  for  art's  sake ;  and  this 
is,  doubtless,  one  reason  why  their  work  draws  the  be- 
holder spellbound. 

The  symbolism  of  the  Thlinkit  is  charming.  It  is  found 
not  alone  in  their  basketry,  but  in  their  carvings  in  stone, 
horn,  and  wood,  and  in  Chilkaht  blankets.  The  favorite 
designs  are :  shadow  of  a  tree,  water  drops,  salmon  berry 
cut  in  half,  the  Arctic  tern's  tail,  flaking  of  the  flesh  of 


98         ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

a  fish,  shark's  tooth,  leaves  of  the  fireweed,  an  eye, 
raven's  tail,  and  tlie  crossing.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
only  a  wild  imagination  could  find  the  faintest  resem- 
blance of  the  symbols  woven  into  the  baskets  to  the  objects 
they  represent.  The  symbol  called  "  shadow  of  a  tree  " 
really  resembles  sunlight  in  moving  water. 

With  the  Haidah  hats  and  Chilkaht  blankets,  it  is  very 
different.  The  head,  feet,  wings,  and  tail  of  the  raven,  for 
instance,  are  easily  traced.  In  more  recent  basketry  the 
swastika  is  a  familiar  design.  Many  Thlinkit  baskets 
have  "  rattly  "  covers.  Seeds  found  in  the  crops  of  quail 
are  woven  into  these  covers.  They  are  "  good  spirits  " 
which  can  never  escape  ;  and  will  insure  good  fortune  to 
the  owner.  Woe  be  to  him,  however,  should  he  permit 
his  curiosity  to  tempt  him  to  investigate  ;  they  will  then 
escape  and  work  him  evil  instead  of  good,  all  the  days  of 
his  life. 

In  Central  Alaska,  the  basketry  is  usually  of  the  coiled 
variety,  coarsely  and  very  indifferently  executed.  Both 
spruce  and  willow  are  used.  From  Dawson  to  St. 
Michael,  in  the  summer  of  1907,  stopping  at  every  trading 
post  and  Indian  village,  I  did  not  see  a  single  piece  of 
basketry  that  I  would  carry  home.  Coarse,  unclean,  and 
of  slovenly  workmanship,  one  could  but  turn  away  in  pity 
and  disgust  for  the  wasted  effort. 

Thelnnuitin  the  Behring  Sea  vicinity  make  both  coiled 
and  twined  basketry  from  dried  grasses ;  but  it  is  even 
worse  than  the  Yukon  basketry,  being  carelessly  done,  — 
the  Innuit  infinitely  preferring  the  carving  and  decorating 
of  walrus  ivory  to  basket  weaving.  It  is  delicious  to  find 
an  Innuit  who  never  saw  a  glacier  decorating  a  paper- 
knife  with  something  that  looks  like  a  pond  lily,  and 
labelling  it  Taku  Glacier,  which  is  three  thousand  miles 
to  the  southeastward.  I  saw  no  attempt  on  the  Yukon, 
nor  on  Behring  Sea,  at  what  Mr.  Mason  calls  imbrication, 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  99 

—  the  beautiful  ornamentation  whicli  the  Indians  of 
Columbia,  Frazer,  and  Thompson  rivers  and  of  many 
Salish  tribes  of  Northwestern  Washington  use  to  distin- 
guish their  coiled  work.  It  resembles  knife-plaiting 
before  it  is  pressed  flat.  This  imbrication  is  frequently 
of  an  exquisite,  dull,  reddish  brown  over  an  old  soft  yel- 
low. Baskets  adorned  with  it  often  have  handles  and  flat 
covers  ;  but  papoose  baskets  and  covered  long  baskets, 
almost  as  large  as  trunks,  are  common. 

There  was  once  a  tide  in  my  affairs  which,  not  being 
taken  at  the  flood,  led  on  to  everlasting  regret. 

One  August  evening  several  years  ago  I  landed  on  an 
island  in  Puget  Sound  wliere  some  Indians  were  camped 
for  the  fishing  season.  It  was  Sunday;  the  men  were 
playing  the  fascinating  gambling  game  of  slahal,  the 
children  were  shouting  at  play,  the  women  were  gathered 
in  front  of  their  tents,  gossiping. 

In  one  of  the  tents  I  found  a  coiled,  imbricated  Thomp- 
son River  basket  in  old  red-browns  and  yellows.  It  was 
three  and  a  half  feet  long,  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  and 
two  and  a  half  wide,  with  a  thick,  close-fitting  cover. 
It  was  offered  to  me  for  ten  dollars,  and  —  that  I  should 
live  to  chronicle  it  !  —  not  knowing  the  worth  of  such  a 
basket,  I  closed  my  eyes  to  its  appealing  and  unforget- 
table beauty,  and  passed  it  by. 

But  it  had,  it  has,  and  it  always  will  have  its  silent 
revenge.  It  is  as  bright  in  my  memory  to-day  as  it  was 
in  my  vision  that  August  Sunday  ten  years  ago,  and  more 
enchanting.  My  longing  to  see  it  again,  to  possess  it, 
increases  as  the  years  go  by.  Never  have  I  seen  its  equal, 
never  shall  I.  Yet  am  I  ever  looking  for  that  basket,  in 
every  Indian  tent  or  hovel  I  may  stumble  upon  —  in 
villages,  in  camps,  in  out-of-the-way  places.  Sure  am  I  that 
I  should  know  it  from  all  other  baskets,  at  but  a  glance. 

I  knew  nothing  of  the  value  of  baskets,  and  I  fancied 


100  ALASKA:    TUE    GREAT    COUNritY 

the  woman  was  taking  advantage  of  my  ignorance. 
While  I  hesitated,  the  steamer  whistled.  It  was  all  over 
in  a  moment  ;  my  chance  was  gone.  I  did  not  even 
dream  how  greatly  I  desired  that  basket  until  I  stood  in 
the  bow  of  the  steamer  and  saw  the  little  white  camp  fade 
from  view  across  the  sunset  sea. 

The  original  chaste  designs  and  symbols  of  Thlinkit, 
Haidah,  and  Aleutian  basketry  are  gradually  yielding, 
before  the  coarse  taste  of  traders  and  tourists,  to  the 
more  modern  and  conventional  designs.  1  have  lived  to 
see  a  cannery  etched  upon  an  exquisitely  carved  paper- 
knife  ;  while  the  things  produced  at  infinite  labor  and 
care  and  called  cribbage-boards  are  in  such  bad  taste  that 
tourists  bu3dng  them  become  curios  themselves. 

The  serpent  has  no  place  in  Alaskan  basketry  for  the 
very  good  reason  that  there  is  not  a  snake  in  all  Alaska, 
and  the  Indians  and  Innuit  probably  never  saw  one.  A 
woman  may  wade  through  the  swampiest  place  or  the 
tallest  grass  without  one  shivery  glance  at  her  pathway 
for  that  little  sinuous  ripple  which  sends  terror  to  most 
women's  hearts  in  warmer  climes.  Indeed,  it  is  claimed 
that  no  poisonous  thing  exists  in  Alaska. 

The  tourist  must  not  expect  to  buy  baskets  farther  north 
than  Skaguay,  where  fine  ones  may  be  obtained  at  very 
reasonable  prices.  Having  visited  several  times  every 
place  where  basketry  is  sold,  I  would  name  first  Dundasi 
then  Yakutat,  and  then  Sitka  as  the  most  desirable  places 
for  "shopping,"  so  far  as  southeastern  Alaska  is  concerned; 
out  "to  Westward,"  first  Unalaska  and  Dutch  Harbor, 
then  Kodiak  and  Seldovia. 

But  the  tourists  who  make  the  far,  beautiful  voyage  out 
among  the  Aleutians  to  Unalaska  might  almost  be  counted 
annually  upon  one's  fingers  —  so  unexploited  are  the 
attractions  of  that  region  ;  therefore,  I  will  add  that  fine 
specimens  of  the  Attn  and  Atka  work  may  be  found  at 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  101 

Wrangell,  Juneau,  Skaguay,  and  Sitka,  without  much 
choice,  either  in  workmanship  or  price.  But  fortunate 
may  the  tourist  consider  himself  who  travels  this  route 
on  a  steamer  that  gathers  the  salmon  catch  in  August 
or  September,  and  is  taken  through  Icy  Strait  to  the 
Dundas  cannery.  There,  while  a  cargo  of  canned  salmon 
is  being  taken  aboard,  the  passengers  have  time  to  barter 
with  the  good-looking  and  intelligent  Indians  for  the 
superb  baskets  laid  out  in  the  immense  warehouse.  No- 
where in  Alaska  have  I  seen  baskets  of  such  beautiful 
workmanship,  design,  shape,  and  coloring  as  at  Dundas  — 
excepting  always,  of  course,  the  Attu  and  Atka ;  nowhere 
have  I  seen  them  in  such  numbers,  variety,  and  at  such 
low  prices. 

My  own  visit  to  Dundas  was  almost  pathetic.  It  was 
on  my  return  from  a  summer's  voyage  along  the  coast  of 
Alaska,  as  far  westward  as  Unalaska.  I  had  touched  at 
every  port  between  Dixon's  Entrance  and  Unalaska,  and 
at  many  places  that  were  not  ports ;  had  been  lightered 
ashore,  rope-laddered  and  doried  ashore,  had  waded  ashore, 
and  been  carried  ashore  on  sailors'  backs  ;  and  then,  with 
my  top  berth  filled  to  the  ceiling  with  baskets  and  things, 
with  all  my  money  spent  and  all  my  clothes  worn  out, 
I  stood  in  the  warehouse  at  Dundas  and  saw  those  dozens 
of  beautiful  baskets,  and  had  them  offered  to  me  at  but 
half  the  prices  I  had  paid  for  inferior  baskets.  It  was 
here  that  the  summer  hats  and  the  red  kimonos  and  the 
pretty  collars  were  brought  out,  and  were  eagerly  seized 
by  the  dark  and  really  handsome  Indian  girls.  A  ten- 
dollar  hat  —  at  the  end  of  the  season  !  —  went  for  a  fif- 
teen-dollar basket  ;  a  long,  red  woollen  kimono,  —  whose 
warmth  had  not  been  required  on  this  ideal  ti'ip,  anyhow, 
—  secured  another  of  the  same  price ;  and  may  heaven 
forgive  me,  but  I  swapped  one  twenty -two-inch  gold- 
embroidered  belt  for  a  three-dollar  basket,  even  while  I 


102  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

knew  in  my  sinful  heart  that  there  was  not  a  waist  in 
that  warehouse  that  measured  less  than  thirty-five  inches  ; 
and  from  that  to  tifty! 

However,  in  sheer  human  kindness,  I  taught  the  girl  to 
whom  I  swapped  it  how  it  might  be  worn  as  a  garter, 
and  her  delight  was  so  great  and  so  unexpected  that  it 
caused  me  some  apprehension  as  to  the  results.  My  very 
proper  Scotch  friend  and  travelling  companion  was  so 
aghast  at  my  suggestion  that  she  took  the  girl  aside  and 
advised  her  to  wear  the  belt  for  collars,  cut  in  half,  or  as 
a  gay  decoration  up  the  front  plait  of  her  shirt-waist,  or 
as  armlets ;  so  that,  with  it  all,  I  was  at  last  able  to 
retire  to  my  stateroom  and  enjoy  my  bargains  with  a 
clear  conscience,  feeling  that  after  some  fashion  the  girl 
would  get  her  basket's  worth  out  of  the  belt. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Leaving  Wrangell,  the  steamer  soon  passes,  on  the 
port  side  and  at  the  entrance  to  Sumner  Strait,  Zarembo 
Island,  named  for  that  Lieutenant  Zarembo  who  so  suc- 
cessfully prevented  the  Britishers  from  entering  Stikine 
River.  Baron  Wrangell  bestowed  the  name,  desiring  in 
his  gratitude  and  appreciation  to  perpetuate  the  name 
and  fame  of  the  intrepid  young  officer. 

From  Sumner  Strait  the  famed  and  perilously  beautiful 
Wrangell  Narrows  is  entered.  This  ribbon-like  water-way 
is  less  than  twenty  miles  long,  and  in  many  places  so 
narrow  that  a  stone  may  be  tossed  from  shore  to  shore. 
It  winds  between  Mitkoff  and  Kupreanoff  islands,  and 
may  be  navigated  only  at  certain  stages  of  the  tide. 
Deep-draught  vessels  do  not  attempt  Wrangell  Narrows, 
but  turn  around  Cape  Decision  and  proceed  by  way  of 
Chatham  Strait  and  Frederick  Sound  —  a  course  which 
adds  at  least  eighty  miles  to  the  voyage. 

The  interested  voyager  will  not  miss  one  moment  of 
the  run  through  the  narrows,  either  for  sleep  or  hunger. 
Better  a  sleepless  night  or  a  dinnerless  day  than  one  min- 
ute lost  of  this  matchless  scenic  attraction. 

The  steamer  pushes,  under  slow  bell,  along  a  channel 
which,  in  places,  is  not  wider  than  the  steamer  itself.  Its 
sides  are  frequently  touched  by  the  long  strands  of  kelp 
that  cover  the  sharp  and  dangerous  reefs,  which  may  be 
plainly  seen  in  the  clear  water. 

The  timid  passenger,  sailing  these  narrows,  holds  his 

103 


104  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

breath  a  good  part  of  the  time,  and  casts  anxious  glances 
at  the  bridge,  whereon  the  captain  and  his  pilots  stand 
silent,  stern,  with  steady,  level  gaze  set  upon  the  course. 
One  moment's  carelessness,  ten  seconds  of  inattention, 
might  mean  the  loss  of  a  vessel  in  this  dangerous  strait. 

Intense  silence  prevails,  broken  only  by  the  heavy,  slow 
throb  of  the  steamer  and  the  swirl  of  the  brown  water  in 
whirlpools  over  the  rocks ;  and  these  sounds  echo  far. 

The  channel  is  marked  by  many  buoys  and  other  sig- 
nals. The  island  shores  on  both  sides  are  heavily  wooded 
to  the  water,  the  branches  spraying  out  over  the  water  in 
bright,  lacy  green.  The  tree  trunks  are  covered  with 
pale  green  moss,  and  long  moss-fringes  hang  from  the 
branches,  from  the  tips  of  the  trees  to  the  water's  edge. 
The  effect  is  the  same  as  that  of  festal  decoration. 

Eagles  may  always  be  seen  perched  motionless  upon 
the  tall  tree-tops  or  upon  buoys. 

The  steamship  Colorado  went  upon  the  rocks  between 
Spruce  and  Anchor  points  in  1900,  where  her  storm- 
beaten  hull  still  lies  as  a  silent,  but  eloquent,  warning  of 
the  perils  of  this  narrow  channel. 

The  tides  roaring  in  from  the  ocean  through  Frederick 
Sound  on  the  north  and  Sumner  vStrait  on  the  south  meet 
near  Finger  Point  in  the  narrows. 

Sunrise  and  sunset  effects  in  this  narrow  channel  are 
justly  famed.  I  once  saw  a  mist  blown  ahead  of  my 
steamer  at  sunset  that,  in  the  vivid  brilliancy  of  its  min- 
gled scarlets,  greens,  and  purples,  rivalled  the  coloring  of 
a  humming-bird. 

At  dawn,  long  rays  of  delicate  pink,  beryl,  and  pearl 
play  through  this  green  avenue,  deepening  in  color,  fad- 
ing, and  withdrawing  like  Northern  Lights.  When  the 
scene  is  silvered  and  softened  by  moonlight,  one  looks  for 
elves  and  fairies  in  the  shadows  of  the  moss-dripping 
spruce  trees. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  105 

The  silence  is  so  intense  and  the  channel  so  narrow, 
that  frequently  at  dawn  wild  birds  on  the  shores  are  heard 
saluting  the  sun  with  song  ;  and  never,  under  any  other 
circumstances,  has  bird  song  seemed  so  nearly  divine,  so 
golden  with  magic  and  message,  as  when  thrilled  through 
the  fragrant,  green  stillness  of  Wrangell  Narrows  at  such 
an  hour. 

I  was  once  a  passenger  on  a  steamer  that  lay  at  anchor 
all  night  in  Sumner  Strait,  not  daring  to  attempt  the  Nar- 
rows on  account  of  storm  and  tide.  A  stormy  sunset 
burned  about  our  ship.  The  sea  was  like  a  great,  scarlet 
poppy,  whose  every  wave  petal  circled  upward  at  the 
edges  to  hold  a  fleck  of  gold.  Island  upon  island  stood 
out  through  that  riot  of  color  in  vivid,  living  green,  and 
splendid  j)eaks  shone  burnished  against  the  sky. 

There  was  no  sleep  that  night.  Music  and  the  dance 
held  sway  in  the  cabins  for  those  who  cared  for  them, 
and  for  the  others  there  was  the  beauty  of  the  night.  In 
our  chairs,  sheltered  by  the  great  smoke-stacks  of  the 
hurricane-deck,  we  watched  the  hours  go  by  —  each  hour 
a  different  color  from  the  others  —  until  the  burned-out 
red  of  night  had  paled  into  the  new  sweet  primrose  of 
dawn.  The  wind  died,  leaving  the  full  tide  "that,  mov- 
ing, seems  asleep";  and  no  night  was  ever  warmer  and 
sweeter  in  any  tropic  sea  than  that. 

Wrangell  Narrows  leads  into  Frederick  Sound  —  so 
named  by  Whidbey  and  Johnstone,  who  met  tliere,  in 
1794,  on  the  birthday  of  Frederick,  Duke  of  York. 

Vancouver's  expedition  actually  ended  here,  and  the 
search  for  the  "  Strait  of  Anian "  was  finally  aban- 
doned. 

Several  glaciers  are  in  this  vicinity:  Small,  Patterson, 
Summit,  and  Le  Conte.  The  Devil's  Thumb,  a  sjjire- 
shaped  peak  on  the  mainland,  rises  more  than  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  stands  guard 


106       ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

over  Wrangell  Narrows  and  the  islands  and  glaciers  of 
the  vicinity. 

On  Soukhoi  Island  fox  ranches  were  established  about 
five  years  ago;  they  are  said  to  be  successful. 

The  Thunder  Bay  Glacier  is  the  first  on  the  coast  that 
discharges  bergs.  The  thunder-like  roars  with  which  the 
vast  bulks  of  beautiful  blue-white  ice  broke  from  the 
glacier's  front  caused  the  Indians  to  believe  this  bay  to 
be  the  home  of  the  thunder-bird,  who  always  produces 
thunder  by  the  flapping  of  his  mighty  wings. 

Baird  Glacier  is  in  Thomas  Bay,  noted  for  its  scenic 
charms,  —  glaciers,  forestation,  waterfalls,  and  sheer 
heights  combining  to  give  it  a  deservedly  wide  reputation 
among  tourists.  Elephant's  Head,  Portage  Bay,  Farragut 
Bay,  and  Cape  Fanshaw  are  important  features  of  the 
vicinity.  The  latter  is  a  noted  landmark  and  storm- 
point.  It  fronts  the  southwest,  and  the  full  fury  of  the 
fiercest  storms  beats  mercilessly  upon  it.  Light  craft  fre- 
quently tr}'^  for  days  to  make  this  point,  when  a  wild 
gale  is  blowing  from  the  Pacific. 

Of  the  scenery  to  the  south  of  Cape  Fanshaw,  Whidbey 
reported  to  Vancouver,  on  his  final  trip  of  exploration  in 
August,  1794,  that  "the  mountains  rose  abruptly  to  a  pro- 
digious height  ...  to  the  South,  a  part  of  them  pre- 
sented an  uncommonly  awful  appearance,  rising  with  an 
inclination  towards  the  water  to  a  vast  height,  loaded 
with  an  immense  quantity  of  ice  and  snow,  and  overhang- 
ing their  base,  which  seemed  to  be  insufficient  to  bear  the 
ponderous  fabric  it  sustained,  and  rendered  the  view  of 
the  passage  beneath  it  horribly  magnificent." 

At  the  Cape  he  encountered  such  severe  gales  that  a 
whole  day  and  night  were  consumed  in  making  a  distance 
of  sixteen  miles. 

There  are  more  fox  ranches  on  "  The  Brothers  "  Islands, 
and  soon  after  passing  them  Frederick  Sound  narrows  into 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  107 

Stephens'  Passage.  Here,  to  starboard,  on  the  mainland, 
is  Mount  Windham,  twenty-five  hundred  feet  in  height,  in 
Windham  Bay. 

Gold  was  discovered  in  this  region  in  the  early  seven- 
ties, and  mines  were  worked  for  a  number  of  years  before 
the  Juneau  and  Treadwell  excitement.  The  mountains 
abound  in  game. 

Sumdum  is  a  mining  town  in  Sumdum,  or  Holkham, 
Bay.  The  fine,  live  glacier  in  this  arm  is  more  perfectly 
named  than  any  other  in  Alaska  —  Sum-dum,  as  the 
Indians  pronounce  it,  more  clearly  describing  the  deep 
roar  of  breaking  and  falling  ice,  with  echo,  than  any  other 
syllables. 

Large  steamers  do  not  enter  this  bay ;  but  small  craft, 
at  slack-tide,  may  make  their  way  among  the  rocks  and 
icebergs.  It  is  well  worth  the  extra  expense  and  trouble 
of  a  visit. 

To  the  southwest  of  Cape  Fanshaw,  in  Frederick  Sound, 
is  Turnabout  Island,  whose  suggestive  name  is  as  forlorn 
as  Turnagain  Arm,  in  Cook  Inlet,  where  Cook  was  forced 
to  "  turn  again  "  on  what  proved  to  be  his  last  voyage. 

Stephens'  Passage  is  between  tlie  mainland  and  Admi- 
ralty Island.  This  island  barely  escapes  becoming  three 
or  four  islands.  Seymour  Canal,  in  the  eastern  part, 
almost  cuts  off  a  large  portion,  which  is  called  Glass 
Peninsula,  the  connecting  strip  of  land  being  merely  a 
portage  ;  Kootznahoo  Inlet  cuts  more  than  halfway  across 
from  west  to  east,  a  little  south  of  the  centre  of  the  island  ; 
and  at  the  northern  end  had  Hawk  Inlet  pierced  but  a 
little  farther,  another  island  would  have  been  formed. 
The  scenery  along  these  inlets,  particularly  Kootznahoo, 
where  the  lower  wooded  hills  rise  from  sparkling  blue 
waters  to  glistening  snow  peaks,  is  magnificent.  Whid- 
bey  reported  that  although  this  island  appeared  to  be 
composed  of  a  rocky  substance  covered  with    but   little 


108  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

soil,  and  that  chiefly  consisting  of  vegetables  in  an  imper- 
fect state  of  dissolution,  yet  it  pi'oduced  timber  wliich  lie 
considered  superior  to  any  he  had  before  observed  on  the 
western  coast  of  America. 

It  is  a  pity  that  some  steamship  company  does  not  run  at 
least  one  or  two  excursions  during  the  summer  to  the  little- 
known  and  unexploited  inlets  of  southeastern  Alaska  —  to 
the  abandoned  Indian  villages,  graveyards,  and  totems ; 
the  glaciers,  cascades,  and  virgin  spruce  glades ;  the  roar- 
ing narrows  and  dim,  sweet  fiords,  where  the  regular  pas- 
senger and  "tourist"  steamers  do  not  touch.  A  month 
might  easily  be  spent  on  such  a  trip,  and  enough  nature- 
loving,  interested,  and  interesting  people  could  be  found 
to  take  every  berth  —  without  the  bugaboo,  the  increasing 
nightmare  of  the  typical  tourist,  to  rob  one  of  his  pleasure. 

At  present  an  excursion  steamer  sails  from  Seattle,  and 
from  the  hour  of  its  sailing  the  steamer  throbs  through  the 
most  beautiful  archipelago  in  the  world,  the  least  known, 
and  the  one  most  richly  repaying  study,  making  only  five 
or  six  landings,  and  visiting  two  glaciers  at  most.  It  is 
quite  true  that  every  moment  of  this  "  tourist "  trip  of  ten 
days  is,  nevertheless,  a  delight,  if  the  weather  be  favor- 
able ;  that  the  steamer  rate  is  remarkably  cheap,  and  that 
no  one  can  possibly  regret  having  made  this  trip  if  he  can- 
not afford  a  longer  one  in  Alaska.  But  this  does  not  alter 
the  fact  that  there  are  hundreds  of  people  who  would 
gladly  make  the  longer  voyage  each  summer,  if  transpor- 
tation were  afforded.  Local  transportation  in  Alaska  is 
so  expensive  that  few  can  afford  to  go  from  place  to  place, 
waiting  for  steamers,  and  paying  for  boats  and  guides  for 
every  side  trip  they  desire  to  make. 

Admiralty  Island  is  rich  in  gold,  silver,  and  other  min- 
erals. There  are  whaling  grounds  in  the  vicinity,  and  a 
whaling  station  was  recently  established  on  the  southwest- 
ern end  of  the  Island,  near  Surprise  Harbor  and  Murder 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  109 

Cove.  Directly  across  Chatham  Strait  from  this  station, 
on  Baranoff  Ishmd,  only  twenty-five  miles  from  Sitka,  are 
the  famous  Sulphur  Hot  Springs. 

There  are  fine  marble  districts  on  the  western  shores  of 
Admiralty  Island. 

On  the  southern  end  are  Woewodski  Harbor  and  Pybas 
Bay. 

Halfway  through  Stephens'  Passage  are  the  Midway 
Islands,  and  but  a  short  distance  farther,  on  the  mainland, 
is  Port  Snettisham,  a  mining  settlement  on  an  arm  whose 
northern  end  is  formed  by  Cascades  Glacier,  and  from 
whose  southern  arm  musically  and  exquisitely  leaps  a  cas- 
cade which  is  the  only  rival  of  Sarah  Island  in  the  affec- 
tions of  mariners —  Sweetheart  Falls. 

Who  so  tenderly  named  this  cascade,  and  for  whom,  I 
have  not  been  able  to  learn ;  but  those  pale  green,  foam- 
crested  waters  shall  yet  give  up  their  secret.  Never 
would  Vancouver  be  suspected  of  such  naming.  Had  he 
so  prettily  and  sentimentally  named  it,  the  very  waters 
would  have  turned  to  stone  in  their  fall,  petrified  by 
sheer  amazement. 

The  scenery  of  Snettisham  Inlet  is  the  finest  in  this 
vicinity  of  fine  scenic  effects,  with  the  single  exception  of 
Taku  Glacier. 

In  Taku  Harbor  is  an  Indian  village,  called  Taku,  where 
ma}^  be  found  safe  anchorage,  which  is  frequently  required 
in  winter,  on  account  of  what  are  called  "Taku  winds." 
Passing  Grand  Island,  which  rises  to  a  wooded  peak,  the 
steamer  crosses  the  entrance  to  Taku  Inlet  and  enters 
Gastineau  Channel. 

There  are  many  fine  peaks  in  this  vicinity,  from  two  to 
ten  thousand  feet  in  height. 

The  stretch  of  water  where  Stephens'  Passage,  Taku 
Inlet,  Gastineau  Channel,  antl  the  southeastern  arm  of 
Lynn   Canal   meet   is    in   winter  dreaded   by   pilots.     A 


110  ALASKA:     THE    GliEAT    COUNTRY 

squall  is  liable  to  come  tearing  down  Taku  Inlet  at  any 
moment  and  meet  one  from  some  other  direction,  to  the 
peril  of  navigation. 

At  times  a  kind  of  fine  frozen  mist  is  driven  across  by 
the  violent  gales,  making  it  difficult  to  see  a  ship's  length 
ahead.  At  such  times  the  expressive  faces  on  the  bridge 
of  a  steamer  are  psychological  studies. 

In  summer,  however,  no  open  stretch  of  water  could 
be  more  inviting.  Clear,  faintly  rippled,  deep  sapphire, 
flecked  with  the  first  glistening  bergs  floating  out  of  the 
inlet,  it  leads  the  way  to  the  glorious  presence  that  lies 
beyond. 

I  had  meant  to  take  the  reader  first  up  lovely  Gastineau 
Channel  to  Juneau  ;  but  now  that  I  have  unintentionally 
drifted  into  Taku  Inlet,  the  glacier  lures  me  on.  It  is 
only  an  hour's  run,  and  the  way  is  one  of  ever  increasing 
beauty,  until  the  steamer  has  pushed  its  prow  through  the 
hundreds  of  sparkling  icebergs,  under  slow  bell,  and  at 
last  lies  motionless.  One  feels  as  though  in  the  presence 
of  some  living,  majestic  being,  clouded  in  mystery.  The 
splendid  front  drops  down  sheer  to  the  water,  from  a 
height  of  probably  three  hundred  feet.  A  sapphire  mist 
drifts  over  it,  without  obscuring  the  exquisite  tintings  of 
rose,  azure,  purple,  and  green  that  flash  out  from  the 
glistening  spires  and  columns.  The  crumpled  mass  push- 
ing down  from  the  mountains  strains  against  the  front, 
and  sends  towered  bulks  plunging  headlong  into  the  sea, 
with  a  roar  that  echoes  from  peak  to  peak  in  a  kind  of 
"  linked  sweetness  long  drawn  out  "  and  ever  diminishing. 

There  is  no  air  so  indescribably,  thrillingly  sweet  as  the 
air  of  a  glacier  on  a  fair  day.  It  seems  to  palpitate  with 
a  fragrance  that  ravishes  the  senses.  I  saw  a  great,  re- 
cently captured  bear,  chained  on  the  hurricane  deck  of  a 
steamer,  stand  with  his  nose  stretched  out  toward  the 
glacier,  his  nostrils  quivering  and  a  look  of  almost  human 


ALASKA:    THE    GliEAT    COUNTRY  111 

longing  and  rebellion  in  his  small  eyes.  The  feeling  of 
pain  and  pity  with  wliich  a  humane  person  always  be- 
holds a  chained  wild  animal  is  accented  in  these  wide  and 
noble  spaces  swimming  from  snow  mountain  to  snow 
mountain,  where  the  very  watchword  of  the  silence  seems 
to  be  "  Freedom."  The  chained  bear  recognized  the  scent 
of  the  glacier  and  remembered  that  he  had  once  been  free. 

In  front  of  the  glacier  stretched  miles  of  sapphire,  sun- 
lit sea,  set  with  sparkling,  opaline-tinted  icebergs.  Now 
and  then  one  broke  and  fell  apart  before  our  eyes,  sending 
up  a  funnel-shaped  spray  of  color, —  rose,  pale  green,  or 
azure. 

At  every  blast  of  the  steamer's  whistle  great  masses  of 
ice  came  thundering  headlong  into  the  sea  —  to  emerge 
presently,  icebergs.  Canoeists  approach  glaciers  closely 
at  their  peril,  never  knowing  when  an  iceberg  may  shoot 
to  the  surface  and  wreck  their  boat.  Even  larger  craft 
are  by  no  means  safe,  and  tourists  desiring  a  close  ap- 
proach should  voyage  with  intre^Did  captains  who  sail 
safely  through  everything. 

The  wide,  ceaseless  sweep  of  a  live  glacier  down  the 
side  of  a  great  mountain  and  out  into  the  sea  holds  a  more 
compelling  suggestion  of  power  than  any  other  action  of 
nature.  I  have  never  felt  the  appeal  of  a  mountain  gla- 
cier—  of  a  stream  of  ice  and  snow  that,  so  far  as  the  eye 
can  discover,  never  reaches  anywhere,  although  it  keeps 
going  forever.  The  feeling  of  forlornness  with  which, 
after  years  of  anticipation,  I  finally  beheld  the  renowned 
glacier  of  the  Selkirks,  will  never  be  forgotten.  It  was 
the  forlornness  of  a  child  who  has  been  robbed  of  her 
Santa  Claus,  or  who  has  found  that  her  doll  is  stuffed  with 
sawdust. 

But  to  behold  the  splendid,  perpendicular  front  of  a 
live  glacier  rising  out  of  a  sea  which  breaks  everlastingly 
upon  it ;  to  see  it  under  the  rose  and  lavender  of  sunset 


112  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

or  the  dull  gold  of  noon;  to  see  and  hear  tower,  minaret, 
dome,  go  thundering  down  into  the  clear  depths  and  pound 
them  into  foam  —  this  alone  is  worth  the  price  of  a  trip 
to  Alaska. 

We  were  told  that  the  opaline  coloring  of  the  glacier 
was  unusual,  and  that  its  prevailing  color  is  an  intense 
blue,  more  beautiful  and  constant  tlian  that  of  other  gla- 
ciers ;  and  that  even  the  bergs  floating  out  from  it  were 
of  a  more  pronounced  blue  than  other  bergs. 

But  I  do  not  believe  it.  I  have  seen  the  blue  of  the 
Columbia  Glacier  in  Prince  William  Sound  ;  and  I  have 
sailed  for  a  whole  afternoon  among  the  intensely  blue  ice 
shallops  that  go  drifting  in  an  endless  fleet  from  Glacier 
Bay  out  through  Icy  Straits  to  the  ocean.  If  there  be  a 
more  exquisite  blue  this  side  of  heaven  than  I  have  seen 
in  Icy  Straits  and  in  the  palisades  of  the  Columbia  Gla- 
cier, I  must  see  it  to  believe  it. 

There  are  three  glaciers  in  Taku  Inlet:  two  —  Wind- 
ham and  Twin  —  which  are  at  present  "dead  "  ;  and  Taku, 
the  Beautiful,  which  is  very  much  alive.  The  latter  was 
named  Foster,  for  the  former  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ; 
but  the  Indian  name  has  clung  to  it,  which  is  one  more 
cause  for  thanksgiving. 

The  Inlet  is  eighteen  miles  long  and  about  seven  hun- 
dred feet  wide.  Taku  River  flows  into  it  from  the  north- 
east, spreading  out  in  blue  ribbons  over  the  brown  flats ; 
at  high  tide  it  may  be  navigated,  with  caution,  by  small 
row-boats  and  canoes.  It  was  explored  in  early  days  by 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  also  by  surveyors  of  the  West- 
ern Union  Telegraph  Company. 

Whidbey,  entering  the  Inlet  in  1794,  sustained  his  repu- 
tation for  absolute  blindness  to  beauty.  He  found  "a 
compact  body  of  ice  extending  some  distance  nearly  all 
around."  He  found  "  frozen  mountains,"  "  rock  sides," 
"dwarf  pine  trees,"  and  "undissolving  frost  and  snow." 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  113 

He  lamented  the  lack  of  a  suitable  landing-place  for  boats; 
and  reported  the  aspect  in  general  to  be  "  as  dreary  and 
inhospitable  as  the  imagination  can  possibly  suggest." 

Alas  for  the  poor  chilly  Englishman  !  He,  doubtless, 
expected  silvery-gowned  ice  maidens  to  come  sliding  out 
from  under  the  glacier  in  pearly  boats,  singing  and  kissing 
their  hands,  to  bear  him  back  into  their  deep  blue  grottos 
and  dells  of  ice,  and  refresh  him  with  Russian  tea  from 
old  brass  samovars  ;  he  expected  these  maidens  to  be 
girdled  and  crowned  with  carnations  and  poppies,  and  to 
pluck  winy  grapes  —  with  dust  clinging  to  their  bloomy 
roundness  —  from  living  vines  for  him  to  eat ;  and  most 
of  all,  he  expected  to  find  in  some  remote  corner  of  the 
clear  and  sparkling  cavern  a  big  fireplace,  "  which  would 
remind  him  pleasantly  of  England  ;  "  and  a  brilliant  fire 
on  a  well-swept  hearth,  with  the  smoke  and  sparks  going 
up  through  a  melted  hole  in  the  glacier. 

About  fifteen  miles  up  Taku  River,  Wright  Glacier 
streams  down  from  the  southeast  and  fronts  upon  the  low 
and  marshy  lands  for  a  distance  of  nearly  three  miles. 

The  mountains  surrounding  Taku  Inlet  rise  to  a  height 
of  four  thousand  feet,  jutting  out  abruptly,  in  places,  over 
the  water. 


CHAPTER   IX 

Gastineatj  Channel  is  more  than  a  mile  wide  at  the 
entrance,  and  eight  miles  long ;  it  narrows  gradually  as 
it  separates  Douglas  Island  from  the  mainland,  and,  still 
narrowing,  goes  glimmering  on  past  Juneau,  like  a  silver- 
blue  ribbon.  Down  this  channel  at  sunset  burns  the  most 
beautiful  coloring,  which  slides  over  the  milky  waters,  pro- 
ducing an  opaline  effect.  At  such  an  hour  this  scene 
—  with  Treadwell  glittering  on  one  side,  and  Juneau  on 
the  other,  with  Mount  Juneau  rising  in  one  swelling  sweep 
directly  behind  the  town  —  is  one  of  the  fairest  in  this 
country  of  fair  scenes. 

The  unique  situation  of  Juneau  appeals  powerfully  to 
the  lover  of  beauty.  There  is  an  unforgettable  charm  in 
its  narrow,  crooked  streets  and  winding,  mossed  stairways; 
its  picturesque  shops,  —  some  with  gorgeous  totem-poles 
for  signs,  —  where  a  small  fortune  may  be  spent  on  a  single 
Attn  or  Atka  basket;  the  glitter  and  the  music  of  its 
streets  and  its  " places,"  the  latter  open  all  night;  its 
people  standing  in  doorways  and  upon  corners,  eager  to 
talk  to  strangers  and  bid  them  welcome  ;  and  its  gayly 
clad  squaws,  surrounded  by  fine  baskets  and  other  work 
of  their  brown  hands. 

The  streets  are  terraced  down  to  the  water,  and  many 
of  the  pretty,  vine-draped  cottages  seem  to  be  literally 
hung  upon  the  side  of  the  mountain.  *One  must  have 
good,  strong  legs  to  climb  daily  the  flights  of  stairs  that 
steeply  lead  to  some  of  them. 

114 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  115 

In  the  heart  of  the  town  is  an  old  Presbyterian  Mission 
church,  built  of  logs,  with  an  artistic  square  tower,  also 
of  logs,  at  one  corner.  This  church  is  now  used  as  a 
brewery  and  soda-bottling  establishment! 

The  lawns  are  well  cared  for,  and  the  homes  are  fur- 
nished with  refined  taste,  giving  evidences  of  genuine 
comfort,  as  well  as  luxury. 

My  first  sight  of  Juneau  was  at  three  o'clock  of  a  dark 
and  rainy  autumn  night  in  1905.  We  had  drifted  slowly 
past  the  mile  or  more  of  brilliant  electric  lights  which  is 
Treadwell  and  Douglas  ;  and  turning  our  eyes  to  the  north, 
discovered,  across  the  narrow  channel,  the  lights  of  Juneau 
climbing  out  of  the  darkness  up  the  mountain  from  the 
water's  edge.  Houses  and  buildings  we  could  not  see  ;  only 
those  radiant  lights,  leading  us  on,  like  will-o'-the-wisps. 

When  we  landed  it  seemed  as  though  half  the  people  of 
the  town,  if  not  the  entire  population,  must  be  upon  the 
wharf.  It  was  then  that  we  learned  that  it  is  always 
daytime  in  Alaskan  towns  when  a  steamer  lands  —  even 
though  it  be  three  o'clock  of  a  black  night. 

The  business  streets  were  brilliant.  Everything  was 
open  for  business,  except  the  banks ;  a  blare  of  music 
burst  through  the  open  door  of  every  saloon  and  dance- 
hall  ;  blond-haired  "  ladies "  went  up  and  down  the 
streets  in  the  rain  and  mud,  bare-headed,  clad  in  gauze 
and  other  airy  materials,  in  silk  stockings  and  satin 
slippers.  They  laughed  and  talked  with  men  on  the 
streets  in  groups ;  they  were  heard  singing  ;  they  were 
seen  dancing  and  inviting  the  young  waiters  and  cabin- 
boys  of  our  steamer  into  their  dance  halls. 

"  How'd  you  like  Juneau?"  asked  my  cabin-boy  the 
next  day,  teetering  in  the  doorway  with  a  plate  of  oranges 
in  his  hand,  and  a  towel  over  his  arm. 

"  It  seemed  very  lively,"  I  replied,  "for  three  o'clock  in 
the  morninef." 


116  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"Oh,  hours  don't  cut  any  ice  in  Alaska,"  said  he. 
"  People  in  Alaska  keep  their  clo's  hung  up  at  the  head  of 
tlieir  beds,  like  the  harness  over  a  fire  horse.  When  the 
boat  whistles,  it  loosens  the  clo's  from  the  hook  ;  the  people 
spring  out  of  bed  right  under  'em  ;  the  clo's  fall  onto  'em 
—  an'  there  they  are  on  the  wharf,  all  dressed,  by  the 
time  the  boat  docks.  They're  all  right  here,  but  say  ! 
they  can't  hold  a  candle  to  the  people  of  Valdez  for  gettin' 
to  the  dock.     They  just  cork  you  at  Valdez." 

At  Juneau  I  went  through  the  most  brilliant  business 
transaction  of  my  life.  I  was  in  the  post-office  when  I 
discovered  that  I  had  left  my  pocket-book  on  the  steamer. 
I  desired  a  curling-iron ;  so  I  borrowed  a  big  silver  dollar 
of  a  friend,  and  hastened  away  to  the  largest  dry-goods 
shop. 

A  sleepy  clerk  waited  upon  me.  The  curling-iron  was 
thirty  cents.  I  gave  him  the  dollar,  and  he  placed  the 
change  in  my  open  hand.  Without  counting  it,  I  went 
back  to  the  post-office,  purchased  twenty-five  cents'  worth 
of  stamps,  and  gave  the  balance  to  the  friend  from  whom 
I  had  borrowed  the  dollar, 

"•Count  it,"  said  I,  "and  see  how  much  I  owe  you." 

She  counted  it. 

"  How  much  did  you  spend  ?  "  she  asked  presently. 

"Fifty-five  cents." 

She  began  to  laugh  wildly. 

"  You  have  a  thirty-cent  curling-iron,  twenty-five  cents' 
worth  of  stamps,  and  you've  given  me  back  a  dollar  and 
sixty-five  cents  — all  out  of  one  silver  dollar  !  " 

I  counted  the  money.     It  was  too  true. 

With  a  burning  face  I  took  the  change  and  went  back 
to  the  store.  My  friend  insisted  upon  going  with  me, 
although  I  would  have  preferj-ed  to  see  her  lost  on  the 
Taku  Glacier.  I  cannot  endure  people  who  laugh  like 
children  at  everything. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  117 

The  captain  and  several  passengers  were  in  the  store. 
They  heard  my  exphination  ;  and  they  all  gathered  around 
to  assist  the  polite  but  sleepy  clerk. 

One  would  say  that  it  would  be  tlie  simplest  thing  in 
the  world  to  straighten  out  that  change  ;  but  the  postage 
stamps  added  complications.  Everybody  figured,  ex- 
plained, suggested,  criticised,  and  objected.  Several  times 
we  were  quite  sure  we  had  it.  Then,  some  one  would 
titter  —  and  the  whole  thing  would  go  glimmering  out  of 
sight. 

However,  at  the  end  of  twenty  minutes  it  was  arranged 
to  the  clerk's  and  my  own  satisfaction.  Several  hours 
later,  when  we  were  well  on  our  way  up  Lynn  Canal,  a 
calmer  figuring  up  proved  that  I  had  not  paid  one  cent 
for  my  curling-iron. 

From  the  harbor  Mount  Juneau  has  the  appearance  of 
rising  directly  out  of  the  town  —  so  sheer  and  bold  is  its 
upward  sweep  to  a  height  of  three  thousand  feet.  Down 
its  many  pale  green  mossy  fissures  falls  the  liquid  silver 
of  cascades. 

It  is  heavily  wooded  in  some  places  ;  in  others,  the 
bare  stone  shines  through  its  mossy  covering,  giving 
a  soft  rose-colored  effect,  most  pleasing  to  the  e^^e. 

Society  in  Juneau,  as  in  every  Alaskan  town,  is  gay. 
Its  watcliword  is  hospitality.  In  summer,  there  are  many 
excursions  to  glaciers  and  the  famed  inlets  Avhich  lie 
almost  at  their  door,  and  to  see  which  other  people  travel 
thousands  of  miles.  In  winter,  there  is  a  brilliant  whirl 
of  dances,  card  parties,  and  receptions.  "  Smokers "  to 
which  ladies  are  invited  are  common  —  although  they  are 
somewhat  like  the  pioneer  dish  of  "potatoes-and-point." 

Wljen  the  pioneers  were  too  poor  to  buy  sufficient  bacon 
for  the  family  dinner,  they  hung  a  small  piece  on  the  wall ; 
the  family  ate  their  solitary  dish  of  potatoes  and  pointed 
at  the  piece  of  bacon. 


118  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

So,  at  these  smokers,  the  hidies  must  be  content  to  see 
the  men  smoke,  but  they  might,  at  least,  be  allowed  to 
point. 

Most  of  the  people  are  wealthy.  Money  is  plentiful, 
and  misers  are  unknown.  The  expenditure  of  money  for 
the  purchase  of  pleasure  is  considered  the  best  investment 
that  an  Alaskan  can  make. 

Fabulous  prices  are  paid  for  luxuries  in  food  and 
dress. 

"  I  liave  lived  in  Dawson  since  1897,"  said  a  lady  last 
summer,  "  and  liave  never  been  ill  for  a  day.  I  attribute 
my  good  health  to  the  fact  that  I  have  never  flinched  at 
the  price  of  anything  my  appetite  craved.  Many  a  time 
I  have  paid  a  dollar  for  a  small  cucumber ;  but  I  have 
never  paid  a  dollar  for  a  drug.  I  have  always  had  fruit, 
regardless  of  the  price,  and  fresh  vegetables.  No  amount 
of  time  or  money  is  considered  wasted  on  flowers.  Women 
of  Alaska  invariably  dress  well  and  present  a  smart 
appearance.  Many  wear  imported  gowns  and  hats  —  and 
I  do  not  mean  imported  from  'the  states,'  either  —  and 
costly  jewels  and  furs  are  more  common  than  in  any  other 
section  of  America.  We  entertain  lavishly,  and  our 
hospitality  is  genuine." 

Every  traveller  in  Alaska  will  testify  to  the  truth  of 
these  assertions.  If  a  man  looks  twice  at  a  dollar  before 
spending  it,  he  is  soon  "  jolted "  out  of  the  pernicious 
habit. 

The  worst  feature  of  Alaskan  social  life  is  the  "  coming 
out "  of  many  of  the  women  in  winter,  leaving  their  hus- 
bands to  spend  the  long,  dreary  winter  months  as  they 
may.  To  this  selfishness  on  the  part  of  the  women  is 
due  much  of  the  intoxication  and  immorality  of  Alaska  — 
few  men  being  of  sufficiently  strong  character  to  with- 
stand the  distilled  temptations  of  the  country. 

That  so  many  women  go  "  out "  in  winter,  is  largely 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  119 

due  to  the  proverbial  kindness  and  indulgence  of  American 
husbands,  who  are  loath  to  have  their  wives  subjected  to 
the  rigors  and  the  hardships  of  an  Alaskan  winter. 

However,  the  winter  exodus  may  scarcely  be  considered 
a  feature  of  the  society  of  Juneau,  or  other  towns  of 
southeastern  Alaska.  The  climate  resembles  that  of 
Puget  Sound  ;  there  is  a  frequent  and  excellent  steamship 
service  to  and  from  Seattle ;  and  the  reasons  for  the 
exodus  that  exist  in  cold  and  shut-in  regions  have  no 
apparent  existence  here. 

Every  business  —  and  almost  every  industry  —  is  repre- 
sented in  Juneau.  The  town  has  excellent  schools  and 
churches,  a  library,  women's  clubs,  hospitals,  a  cham- 
ber of  commerce,  two  influential  newspapers,  a  militia 
company,  a  brass  band  —  and  a  good  brass  band  is  a 
feature  of  real  importance  in  this  land  of  little  music  —  an 
opera-house,  and,  of  course,  electric  lights  and  a  good 
water  system. 

Juneau  has  for  several  years  been  the  capital  of  Alaska  ; 
but  not  until  the  appointment  of  Governor  Wilford  B. 
Hoggatt,  in  1906,  to  succeed  Governor  J.  G.  Brady,  were 
the  Executive  Office  and  Governor's  residence  established 
here.  So  confident  have  the  people  of  Juneau  always 
been  that  it  would  eventually  become  the  capital  of  Alaska, 
that  an  eminence  between  the  town  and  the  Auk  village 
has  for  twenty  years  been  called  Capitol  Hill.  During  all 
these  years  there  has  been  a  fierce  and  bitter  rivalry 
between  Juneau  and  Sitka. 

Juneau  was  named  for  Joseph  Juneau,  a  miner  who 
came,  "  grubstaked,"  to  this  region  in  1880.  It  was  the 
fifth  name  bestowed  upon  the  place,  which  grew  from  a 
single  camp  to  the  modern  and  independent  town  it  is 
to-day  —  and  the  capital  of  one  of  the  greatest  countries 
in  the  world. 

In  its  early  days  Juneau  passed  through  many  exciting 


120        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and  charming  vicissitudes.  Anything  but  monotony  is 
welcomed  by  a  town  in  Alaska  ;  and  existence  in  Juneau 
in  the  eighties  was  certainly  not  monotonous. 

The  town  started  with  a  grand  stampede  and  rush, 
which  rivalled  that  of  the  Klondike  seventeen  years  later  ; 
the  Treadwell  discovery  and  attendant  excitement  came 
during  the  second  year  of  its  existence,  and  a  guard  of 
marines  was  necessary  to  preserve  order,  until,  upon  its 
withdrawal,  a  vigilance  committee  took  matters  into  its 
own  hands,  with  immediate  beneficial  results. 

The  population  of  Juneau  is  about  two  thousand,  which 
—  like  that  of  all  other  northern  towns — is  largely  in- 
creased each  fall  by  the  miners  who  come  in  from  the  hills 
and  inlets  to  "winter." 

In  the  middle  eighties  there  were  Chinese  riots.  The 
little  yellow  men  were  all  driven  out  of  town,  and  their 
quarters  were  demolished  by  a  mob. 

A  recent  attempt  to  introduce  Hindu  labor  in  the 
Treadwell  mines  resulted  as  disastrously. 


CHAPTER   X 

Treadwell!  Could  any  mine  employing  stamps  have 
a  more  inspiring  name,  unless  it  be  Stampvvell  ?  It  fairly 
forces  confidence  and  success. 

Douglas  Island,  lying  across  the  narrow  channel  from 
Juneau,  is  twenty-five  miles  long  and  from  four  to  nine 
miles  wide.  On  this  island  are  the  four  famous  Tread- 
well  mines,  owned  by  four  separate  companies,  but  having 
the  same  general  managership. 

Gold  was  first  discovered  on  this  island  in  1881.  Sorely 
against  his  will,  John  Treadwell  was  forced  to  take  some 
of  the  original  claims,  having  loaned  a  small  amount  upon 
them,  which  the  borrower  was  unable  to  repay. 

Having  become  possessed  of  these  claims,  a  gambler's 
"  hunch "  impelled  him  to  buy  an  adjoining  claim  from 
"  French  Pete  "  for  four  hundred  dollars.  On  this  claim 
is  now  located  the  famed  "  Glory  Hole." 

This  is  so  deep  that  to  one  looking  down  into  it  the 
men  working  at  the  bottom  and  along  the  sides  appear 
scarcely  larger  than  flies.  Steep  stairways  lead,  winding, 
to  the  bottom  of  this  huge  quartz  bowl ;  but  visitors  to 
the  dizzy  regions  below  are  not  encouraged,  on  account  of 
frequent  blasting  and  danger  of  accidents. 

It  is  claimed  that  Treadwell  is  the  largest  quartz  mine 
in  the  world,  and  that  it  employs  the  largest  number  of 
stamps  —  nine  hundred.  The  ore  is  low  grade,  not  yield- 
ing an  average  of  more  than  two  dollars  to  the  ton ;  but 
it  is  so  easily  mined  and  so  economically  handled  that  the 

121 


122  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

mines  rank  with  the  Calumet  and  Hecla,  of  Michigan ; 
the  Comstock  Lode  mines,  of  Nevada ;  the  Homestake,  of 
South  Dakota  ;  and  the  Porthind,  of  Colorado. 

The  Tread  well  is  the  pride  of  Alaska.  Its  poetic  situ- 
ation, romantic  history,  and  admirable  methods  shouhl 
make  it  the  pride  of  America. 

Its  management  has  always  been  just  and  liberal.  It 
has  had  fewer  labor  troubles  than  any  other  mine  in 
America. 

There  are  two  towns  on  the  island  —  Tread  well  and 
Douglas.  The  latter  is  the  commercial  and  residential 
portion  of  the  community  —  for  the  towns  meet  and  min- 
gle together. 

The  entire  population,  exclusive  of  natives,  is  three 
thousand  people  —  a  population  that  is  constantly  increas- 
ing, as  is  the  demand  for  laborers,  at  prices  ranging  from 
two  dollars  and  sixty  cents  per  day  up  to  five  dollars  for 
skilled  labor. 

The  island  is  so  brilliantly  lighted  by  electricity  that 
to  one  approaching  on  a  dark  night  it  presents  the  appear- 
ance of  a  city  six  times  its  size. 

The  nine  hundred  stamps  drop  ceaselessly,  day  and 
night,  with  only  two  holidays  in  a  year  —  Christmas 
and  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  noise  is  ferocious.  In  the 
stamp-mill  one  could  not  distinguish  the  boom  of  a  can- 
non, if  it  were  fired  within  a  distance  of  twenty  feet,  from 
the  deep  and  continuous  thunder  of  the  machinery. 

In  1881  the  first  mill,  containing  five  stamps,  was  built 
and  commenced  crushing  ore  that  came  from  a  streak 
twenty  feet  wide.  This  ore  milled  from  eight  to  ten  dol- 
lars a  ton,  proving  to  be  of  a  grade  suflficiently  high  to  pay 
for  developing  and  milling,  and  leave  a  good  surplus. 

It  was  soon  recognized  that  the  great  bulk  of  the  ore 
was  extremely  low  grade,  and  that,  consequently,  a  large 
milling  capacity  would  be  required  to  make  the  enterprise 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTBT  123 

a  success.  A  one-hundred-and-twenty-stamp-mill  was 
erected  and  began  crushing  ore  in  June,  1885.  At  the 
end  of  three  years  the  stamps  were  doubled.  In  another 
year  three  hundred  additional  stamps  were  dropping. 
Gradually  the  three  other  mines  were  opened  up  and  the 
stamps  were  increased  until  nine  hundred  were  dropping. 

The  shafts  are  from  seven  to  nine  hundred  feet  below 
sea  level,  and  one  is  beneath  the  channel ;  yet  very  little 
water  is  encountered  in  sinking  them.  Most  of  the  water 
in  the  mines  comes  from  the  surface  and  is  caught  up  and 
pumped  out,  from  the  first  level. 

The  net  profits  of  these  mines  to  their  owners  are  said 
to  be  six  thousand  dollars  a  day ;  and  mountains  of  ore 
are  still  in  sight. 

Our  captain  obtained  permission  to  take  us  down  into 
the  mine.  Tliis  was  not  so  difficult  as  it  was  to  elude  the 
other  passengers.  At  last,  however,  we  found  ourselves 
shut  into  a  small  room,  lined  with  jumpers,  slickers,  and 
caps. 

Shades  of  the  things  we  put  on  to  go  under  Niagara 
Falls ! 

"  Get  into  this !  "  commanded  the  captain,  holding  a 
sticky  and  unclean  slicker  for  me.  "And  make  haste! 
There's  no  time  to  waste  for  you  to  examine  it.  Finicky 
ladies  don't  get  two  invitations  into  the  Treadwell.  Put 
in  your  arm." 

My  arm  went  in.  When  an  Alaskan  sea  captain  speaks, 
it  is  to  obey.  Who  last  wore  that  slicker,  far  be  it  from 
me  to  discover.  Chinaman,  leper,  Jap,  or  Auk  —  it  mat- 
tered not.  I  was  in  it,  then,  and  curiosity  was  sternly 
stifled. 

"Now  put  on  this  cap."  Then  beheld  mine  eyes  a  cap 
that  would  make  a  Koloshian  ill. 

"Must  I  put  that  on?" 

I  whispered  it,  so  the  manager  would  not  hear. 


124  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"You  must  put  this  on.     Take  off  your  hat/' 

My  hat  came  off,  and  the  cap  went  on.  It  was  pushed 
down  well  over  my  hair ;  down  to  my  eyebrows  in  the 
front  and  down  to  the  nape  of  my  neck  in  the  back. 

"There!  "  said  the  captain,  cheerfully.  "You  needn't 
be  afraid  of  anytliing  down  in  the  mine  now." 

Alas!  there  was  nothing  in  any  mine,  in  any  world, 
that  I  dreaded  as  I  did  what  might  be  in  that  cap. 

There  were  four  of  us,  with  the  manager,  and  there 
was  barely  room  on  the  rather  dirty  "  lift "  for  us. 

We  stood  very  close  together.  It  was  as  dark  as  a 
dungeon. 

"  Now  —  look  out  !  "  said  the  manager. 

As  we  started,  I  clutched  somebody  —  it  did  not  matter 
whom.  I  also  drew  one  wild  and  amazed  breath;  before 
I  could  possibly  let  go  of  that  one  —  to  say  nothing  of 
drawing  another — there  was  a  bump,  and  we  were  in  a 
level  one  thousand  and  eighty  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  earth. 

We  stepped  out  into  a  brilliantly  lighted  station,  with 
a  high,  glittering  quartz  ceiling.  The  swift  descent  had 
so  affected  my  hearing  that  I  could  not  understand  a  word 
that  was  spoken  for  fully  five  minutes.  None  of  my  com- 
panions, however,  complained  of  the  same  trouble. 

It  has  been  the  custom  to  open  a  level  at  every  hundred 
and  ten  feet;  but  hereafter  tlie  distance  between  levels  in 
the  Tread  well  mine  will  be  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

At  each  level  a  station,  or  chamber,  is  cut  out,  as  wide 
as  the  shaft,  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  having 
an  average  height  of  eight  feet.  A  drift  is  run  from  the 
shaft  for  a  distance  of  twenty -five  feet,  varying  in  height 
from  fifteen  feet  in  front  to  seven  at  the  back.  The  main 
crosscut  is  then  started  at  right  angles  to  the  station  drift. 

From  east  and  west  the  "  drifts "  run  into  this  cross- 
cut, like  little  creeks  into  a  larger  stream. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  125 

No  one  has  ever  accused  me  of  being  shy  in  the  matter 
of  asking  questions.  It  was  the  tirst  time  I  had  been 
down  in  one  of  the  famous  gold  mines  of  the  world,  and  I 
asked  as  many  questions  as  a  woman  trying  to  rent  a 
forty-dollar  house  for  twenty  dollars.  Between  shafts, 
stations,  ore  bins,  crosscuts,  stopes,  drifts,  levels,  and 
winzes,  it  was  less  than  fifteen  minutes  before  I  felt  the 
cold  moisture  of  despair  breaking  out  upon  my  brow. 
Winzes  proved  to  be  the  last  straw.  I  could  get  a  glim- 
mering of  what  the  other  things  were;  but  winzes! 

The  manager  had  been  polite  in  a  forced,  friend-of-the- 
captain  kind  of  way.  He  was  evidently  willing  to  answer 
every  question  once,  but  whenever  I  forgot  and  asked  the 
same  question  twice,  he  balked  instantly.  Exerting 
every  particle  of  intelligence  I  possessed,  I  could  not 
make  out  the  difference  between  a  stope  and  a  station, 
except  that  a  stope  had  the  higher  ceiling. 

"  I  have  told  you  the  difference  three  times  already," 
cried  the  manager,  irritably. 

The  captain,  back  in  the  shadow,  grinned  sympa- 
thetically. 

"  Nor'-nor'-west,  nor'-by-west,  a-quarter-nor',''  said  he, 
sighing.  "  She'll  learn  your  gold  mine  sooner  than  she'll 
learn  my  compass." 

Then  they  both  laughed.  They  laughed  quite  a  while, 
and  my  disagreeable  friend  laughed  with  them.  For  my- 
self, I  could  not  see  anything  funny  anywhere. 

I  finally  learned,  however,  that  a  station  is  a  place  cut 
out  for  a  stable  or  for  the  passage  of  cars,  or  other  things 
requiring  space;  while  a  stope  is  a  room  carried  to  the 
level  of  the  top  of  the  main  crosscut.  It  is  called  a  stope 
because  the  ore  is  "  stoped  "  out  of  it. 

But  winzes  !  What  winzes  are  is  still  a  secret  of  the 
ten-hundred-and-eighty-foot  level  of  the  Treadwell  mine. 

Tram-cars  filled  with  ore,  each  drawn  by  a  single  horse, 


126  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

passed  us  in  every  drift  —  or  was  it  in  crosscuts  and  levels  ? 
One  horse  had  been  in  the  mine  seven  years  without 
once  seeing  sunlight  or  fields  of  green  grass;  without 
once  sipping  cool  water  from  a  mountain  creek  with  quiv- 
ering, sensitive  lips ;  without  once  stretching  his  aching 
limbs  upon  the  soft  sod  of  a  meadow,  or  racing  with  his 
fellows  upon  a  hard  road. 

But  every  man  passing  one  of  these  horses  gave  him  an 
affectionate  pat,  which  was  returned  by  a  low,  pathetic 
whinny  of  recognition  and  pleasure. 

"  One  old  fellow  is  a  regular  fool  about  these  horses," 
said  the  manager,  observing  our  interest.  "He's  always 
carrying  them  down  ai-mfuls  of  green  grass,  apples,  sugar, 
and  everything  a  horse  will  eat.  You'd  ought  to  hear 
them  nicker  at  sight  of  him.  If  they  pass  him  in  a  drift, 
when  he  hasn't  got  a  thing  for  them,  they'll  nicker  and 
nicker,  and  keep  turning  their  heads  to  look  after  him. 
Sometimes  it  makes  me  feel  queer  in  my  throat." 

No  one  can  by  any  chance  know  wliat  noise  is  until  he 
has  stood  at  the  head  of  a  drift  and  heard  three  Ingersoll- 
Sergeant  drills  beating  with  lightning-like  rapidity  into 
the  walls  of  solid  quartz  for  the  purpose  of  blasting. 

Standing  between  these  drills  and  within  three  feet  of 
them,  one  suddenly  is  possessed  of  the  feeling  that  his 
sense  of  hearing  has  broken  loose  and  is  floating  around 
in  his  head  in  waves.  This  feeling  is  followed  by  one  of 
suffocation.  Shock  succeeds  shock  until  one's  very  mind 
seems  to  go  vibrating  away. 

At  a  sign  from  the  manager  the  silence  is  so  sudden 
and  so  intense  that  it  hurts  almost  as  much  as  the 
noise. 

There  is  a  fascination  in  walking  through  these  high- 
ceiled,  brilliantly  lighted  stopes,  and  these  low-ceiled, 
shadowy  drifts.  Walls  and  ceilings  are  gray  quartz,  glit- 
tering with  gold.     One  is  constantly  compelled  to  turn 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  127 

aside  for  cars  of  ore  on  their  way  to  the  dumping-places, 
where  their  burdens  go  thundering  to  the  levels  be- 
low. 

At  last  the  manager  paused. 

"I  suppose,"  said  he,  sighing,  "you  wouldn't  care  to 
see  the  — " 

I  did  not  catch  the  last  word,  and  had  no  notion  what 
it  was,  but  I  instantly  assured  him  that  I  would  rather  see 
it  than  anything  in  the  whole  mine. 

His  face  fell. 

"  Really  —  "  he  began. 

"Of  course  we'll  see  it,"  said  the  captain;  "we  want 
to  see  everything." 

The  manager's  face  fell  lower. 

"All  right,"  said  he,  briefly,  "come  on!  " 

We  had  gone  about  twenty  steps  when  I,  who  was 
close  behind  him,  suddenly  missed  him.     He  was  gone. 

Had  he  fallen  into  a  dump  hole  ?  Had  he  gone  to 
atoms  in  a  blast?  I  blinked  into  the  shadows,  standing 
motionless,  but  could  see  no  sign  of  him. 

Then  his  voice  shouted  from  above  me  —  "  Come  on  !  " 

I  looked  up.  In  front  of  me  a  narrow  iron  ladder  led 
upward  as  straight  as  any  flag-pole,  and  almost  as  high. 
Where  it  went,  and  why  it  went,  mattered  not.  The  only 
thing  that  impressed  me  was  that  the  manager,  halfway 
up  this  ladder,  had  commanded  me  to  "come  on." 

If  to  "come  on!  "  up  that  perpendicular  ladder  whose 
upper  end  was  not  in  sight! 

But  whatever  might  be  at  the  top  of  that  ladder,  I  had 
assured  him  that  I  would  rather  see  it  than  anything  in 
the  whole  mine.  It  was  not  for  me  to  quail.  I  took  firm 
hold  of  the  cold  and  unclean  rungs,  and  started. 

When  we  had  slowly  and  painfully  climbed  to  the  top, 
we  worked  our  way  through  a  small,  square  hole  and 
emerged  into  another  stope,  or  level,  and  in  a  verj^  dark 


128        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

part  of  it.  Each  man  worked  by  the  light  of  a  single 
candle.  They  were  stoping  out  ore  and  making  it  ready 
to  be  dumped  into  lower  levels  —  from  which  it  would 
finally  be  hoisted  out  of  the  mine  in  skips. 

The  ceiling  was  so  low  that  we  could  walk  only  in  a 
stooping  position.  The  laborers  worked  in  the  same  posi- 
tion ;  and  wliat  with  this  discomfort  and  the  insufficient 
light,  it  would  seem  tliat  their  condition  was  unenviable. 
Yet  their  countenances  denoted  neither  dissatisfaction 
nor  ill-humor. 

"•  Well,"  said  the  manager,  presently,  "■  you  can  have  it 
to  say  that  you  have  been  under  the  bay,  anyhow." 

"  Under  the  —  " 

"  Yes  ;  under  Gastineau  Channel.  Tiiat's  straight.  It 
is  directly  over  us." 

We  immediately  decided  that  we  had  seen  enough  of 
the  great  mine,  and  cheerfully  agreed  to  the  captain's 
suggestion  that  we  return  to  the  ship.  We  were  com- 
pelled to  descend  by  the  perpendicular  ladder  ;  and  the 
descent  was  far  worse  than  the  ascent  had  been. 

On  our  way  to  the  "  lift "  by  which  we  had  made  our 
advent  into  the  mine,  we  met  another  small  party.  It 
was  headed  by  a  tall  and  handsome  man,  whose  air  of 
delicate  breeding  would  attract  attention  in  any  gather- 
ing in  the  world.  His  distinction  and  military  bearing 
shone  through  his  greasy  slicker  and  greasier  cap  —  which 
he  instinctively  fumbled,  in  a  futile  attempt  to  lift  it,  as 
we  passed. 

It  was  that  brave  and  gallant  explorer,  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Greely,  on  his  way  to  the  Yukon.  He  was  on  liis 
last  tour  of  inspection  before  retirement.  It  was  his  fare- 
well to  the  Northern  country  which  he  has  served  so  faith- 
fully and  so  well. 

One  stumbles  at  almost  every  turn  in  Alaska  upon  some 
world-famous    person    who    has    auswered    Beauty's    far. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  129 

insistent  call.  The  modest,  low-voiced  gentleman  at  one's 
side  at  the  captain's  table  is  more  likely  than  not  a  cele- 
brated explorer  or  geologist,  writer  or  artist ;  or,  at  the 
very  least,  an  earl. 

"  After  we've  seen  our  passengers  eat  their  first  meal," 
said  the  chief  steward,  "we  know  how  to  seat  them.  You 
can  pick  out  a  lady  or  a  gentleman  at  the  table  without 
fail.  A  boor  can  fool  you  every  place  except  at  the 
table.  We  never  assign  seats  until  after  the  first  meal ; 
and  often er  than  you  would  suppose  we  seat  them  accord- 
ing to  their  manners  at  the  first  meal." 

I  smiled  and  smiled,  then,  remembering  the  first  meal 
on  our  steamer.  It  was  breakfast.  We  had  been  down 
to  the  dining  room  for  something  and,  returning,  found 
ourselves  in  a  mob  at  the  head  of  the  stairs. 

There  were  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  passengers  on 
the  boat,  and  fully  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  them  were 
squeezed  like  compressed  hops  around  that  stairway.  In 
two  seconds  I  was  a  cluster  of  hops  myself,  simply  that 
and  nothing  more.  I  do  not  know  how  the  compressing 
of  hops  is  usually  accomplished ;  but  in  my  particular 
case  it  was  done  between  two  immensely  big  and  dis- 
agreeable men.  They  ignored  me  as  calmly  as  though  I 
were  a  little  boy,  and  talked  cheerfully  over  my  head, 
although  it  soon  developed  that  they  were  not  in  the 
least  acquainted. 

A  little  black-ringleted,  middle-aged  woman  who 
seemed  to  be  mounted  on  wires,  suddenly  squeezed  her 
head  in  under  their  arms,  simpering. 

"  Oh,  Doctor  !  "  twittered  she,  coquettishly.  "  You  are 
talking  to  wy  husband.''' 

"  The  deuce  ! "  ejaculated  the  Doctor,  but  whether  with 
evil  intent  or  not,  I  could  not  determine  from  his  face. 

"  Yes,  truly.  Doctor  Metcalf,  let  me  introduce  my 
husband,  Mr.  Wildey." 


130  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

They  shook  hands  on  my  shoulder  —  but  I  didn't  mind 
a  little  thing  like  that. 

"On  your  honeymoon,  eh  ?  "  chuckled  the  Doctor,  ami- 
ably. The  other  big  man  grew  red  to  his  hair,  and  the 
lady's  black  ringlets  danced  up  and  down. 

"  Now,  now,  Doctor,"  chided  she,  shaking  a  finger  at 
him,  —  she  was  at  least  fifty,  —  "  no  teasing.  No  steamer 
serenades,  you  know.  I  was  on  an  Alaskan  steamer  once, 
and  they  pinned  red  satin  hearts  all  over  a  bride's  state- 
room door.  Just  fancy  getting  up  some  morning  and 
finding  my  stateroom  door  covered  with  red  satin  hearts  !  " 

"  I  can  smell  mackerel,"  said  a  shrill  tenor  behind  me  ; 
and  alas !  so  could  I.  If  there  be  anything  that  I  like 
the  smell  of  less  than  a  mackerel,  it  is  an  Esquimau  hut 
only. 

Somebody  sniffed  delightedly. 

"  Fried,  too,"  said  a  happy  voice.  "  Can't  you  squeeze 
down  closer  to  the  stairway  ?  " 

Almost  at  once  the  big  man  behind  me  was  tipped  for- 
ward into  the  big  man  in  front  of  me  —  and,  as  a  mere 
incident  in  passing,  of  course,  into  me  as  well.  We  all 
went  tipping  and  bobbing  and  clutching  toward  the  stair- 
way. 

Life  does  not  hold  many  half-hours  so  rich  and  so  full 
as  the  one  that  followed.  As  a  revelation  of  the  baser 
side  of  human  nature,  it  was  precious. 

My  friend  was  tall ;  and  once,  far  down  the  saloon,  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  handsome,  well-carried  head  as 
the  mob  parted  for  an  instant.  The  expression  on  her 
face  was  like  that  on  the  face  of  the  Princess  de  Lamballe 
when  Lorado  Taft  has  finished  with  her. 

Suddenly  I  began  to  move  forward.  Rather,  I  was 
borne  forward  without  effort  on  my  part.  A  great  wave 
seemed  to  pick  me  up  and  carry  me  to  the  head  of  the 
stairway.      I    fairly  floated  down  into  the  dining    room. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  131 

I  fell  into  the  first  chair  at  the  first  table  I  came  to;  but 
the  mob  flowed  by,  looking  for  something  better.  Every 
woman  was  on  a  mad  hunt  for  the  captain's  table.  My 
table  remained  unpeopled  until  my  friend  came  in  and 
found  me.  Gradually  and  reluctantly  the  chairs  were 
filled  and  we  devoted  ourselves  to  the  mackerel. 

In  a  far  corner  at  the  other  end  of  the  room,  there  was 
a  table  with  flowers  on  it.  With  a  sigh  of  relief  I  saw 
black  ringlets  dancing  thereat. 

"Thank  heaven!"'  I  said.  "The  bride  is  at  the  cap- 
tain's table." 

"  Ho,  no,  ma'am,"  said  the  gentle  voice  of  the  waiter  in 
my  ear.  "•  You're  hat  hit  yourself,  ma'am.  You're  hin 
the  captain's  hown  seat,  ma'am.  'E  don't  come  down  to 
the  first  meal,  though,  ma'am,"  he  added  hastily,  seeing 
my  look  of  horror.  For  the  first,  last,  and,  I  trust,  only, 
time  in  my  life  I  had  innocently  seated  myself  at  a 
captain's  table,  without  an  invitation. 

After  breakfast  we  hastened  on  deck  and  went  through 
deep-breathing  exercises  for  an  hour,  trying  to  work  our- 
selves back  to  our  usual  proportions. 

I  should  like  to  see  a  chief  steward  seat  that  mob. 

I  was  greatly  amused,  by  the  way,  at  a  young  waiter's 
description  of  an  earl. 

"  We  have  lots  of  earls  goin'  up,"  said  he,  easily.  "  Oh, 
yes;  they  go  up  to  Cook  Inlet  and  Kodiak  to  hunt  big 
game.  I  always  know  an  earl  the  first  meal.  .  He  makes 
me  pull  his  corks,  and  he  gives  me  a  quarter  or  a  half  for 
every  cork  I  pull.  Sometimes  I  make  six  bits  or  a  dollar 
at  a  meal,  just  pulling  one  earl's  corks.  I'd  rather  wait 
on  earls  than  anybody  —  except  ladies,  of  course,"  he 
added,  with  a  positive  jerk  of  remembrance;  whereupon 
we  both  smiled. 


CHAPTER   XI 

Gastineau  Channel  northwest  of  Juneau  is  not 
navigable  for  craft  drawing  more  than  three  feet  of 
water,  at  high  tide. 

Coming  out  of  the  channel  the  steamer  turns  around 
the  southern  end  of  Douglas  Island  and  heads  north  into 
Lynn  Canal,  with  Admiralty  Island  on  the  port  side  and 
Douglas  on  the  starboard. 

Directly  north  of  the  latter  island  is  Mendenhall  Glacier, 
formerly  known  as  the  Auk.  The  Indians  of  this  vicinity 
bear  the  same  name,  and  have  a  village  north  of  Juneau. 
They  were  a  warlike  offshoot  of  the  Hoonahs,  and  bore  a 
bad  reputation  for  treachery  and  unreliability.  Only  a 
few  now  remain. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  this  glacier  —  at  which  the 
steamer  does  not  call  but  which  may  be  plainly  seen 
streaming  down  —  are  several  snow  mountains,  from  five 
tliousand  to  seven  thousand  feet  in  height.  They  seem 
hardly  worthy  of  the  name  of  mountain  in  Alaska;  but 
they  float  so  whitelj^  and  so  beautifully  above  the  deep 
blue  waters  of  Lynn  Canal  that  the  voyager  cannot  mis- 
take their  mission. 

Shelter  Island,  west  of  Mendenhall  Glacier,  forms  two 
channels  —  Saginaw  and  Favorite.  The  latter,  as  indi- 
cated by  its  name,  is  the  one  followed  by  steamers  going 
to  Skaguay.  Saginaw  is  taken  by  steamers  going  down 
Chatham  Straits,  or  Icy  Straits,  to  Sitka. 

Sailing  up  Favorite  Channel,  Eagle  Glacier  is  passed 

132 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  133 

on  the  starboard  side.  It  is  topped  by  a  great  crag  which 
so  closely  resembles  in  outline  our  national  emblem  that 
it  was  so  named  by  Admiral  Beardslee,  in  1879.  The 
glacier  itself  is  not  of  great  importance. 

On  Benjamin  Island,  a  fair  anchorage  may  be  secured 
for  vessels  bound  north  which  have  unfortunately  been 
caught  in  a  strong  northwest  gale. 

After  the  dangerous  Vanderbilt  Reef  is  passed,  Point 
Bridget  and  Point  St.  Mary's  are  seen  at  the  entrance  to 
Berner's  Bay,  where  is  situated  the  rich  gold  mine  belong- 
ing to  Governor  Hoggatt. 

A  light  was  established  in  1905  on  Point  Sherman; 
also,  on  Eldred  Rock,  where  the  Clara  Nevada  went  down, 
in  1898,  with  the  loss  of  every  soul  on  board.  For  ten 
years  repeated  attempts  to  locate  this  wreck  have  been 
made,  on  account  of  the  rich  treasure  which  the  ship  was 
supposed  to  carry;  but  not  until  1908  was  it  discovered 
—  when,  upon  the  occurrence  of  a  phenomenally  low  tide, 
it  was  seen  gleaming  in  clear  green  depths  for  a  few 
hours  by  the  keeper  of  the  lighthouse.  There  was  a 
large  loss  of  life. 

There  is  a  mining  and  mill  settlement  at  Seward,  in 
this  vicinity. 

William  Henry  Bay,  lying  across  the  canal  from  Berner's, 
is  celebrated  as  a  sportsman's  resort,  although  this  recom- 
mendation has  come  to  bear  little  distinction  in  a  country 
where  it  is  so  common.  Enormous  crabs,  rivalling  those 
to  the  far  "  Westward,"  are  found  here.  Their  meat  is 
not  coarse,  as  would  naturally  be  supposed,  because  of 
their  great  size,  but  of  a  fine  flavor. 

Seduction  Point,  on  the  island  bearing  the  same  name, 
lies  between  Chilkaht  Inlet  on  the  west  and  Chilkoot 
Inlet  on  the  east.  For  once,  Vancouver  rose  to  the  oc- 
casion and  bestowed  a  striking  name,  because  at  this  point 
the  treacherous   Indians  tried  to  lure  Whidbey  and  his 


134  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

men  up  the  inlet  to  their  village.  Upon  his  refusal  to  go, 
they  presented  a  warlike  front,  and  the  sincerity  of  their 
first  advances  was  doubted. 

At  the  entrance  to  Chilkaht  Inlet,  Davidson  Glacier  is 
seen  sweeping  down  magnificently  from  near  the  summit 
of  the  White  Mountains.  Although  this  glacier  does  not 
discliarge  bergs,  nor  rise  in  splendid  tinted  palisades 
straight  from  the  water,  as  do  Taku  and  Columbia,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  very  imposing  —  especially  if  seen  from  the 
entrance  of  the  inlet  at  sunset  of  a  clear  day. 

The  setting  of  the  glaciers  of  Lynn  Canal  is  superb. 
The  canal  itself,  named  by  Vancouver  for  his  home  in 
England,  is  the  most  majestic  slender  water-way  in  Alaska. 
From  Puget  Sound,  fiord  after  fiord  leads  one  on  in  ever 
increasing,  ever  changing  splendor,  until  the  grand  climax 
is  reached  in  Lynn  Canal. 

For  fifty-five  miles  the  sparkling  blue  waters  of  the 
canal  push  almost  northward.  Its  shores  are  practically 
unbroken  by  inlets,  and  rise  in  noble  sweeps  or  stately 
palisades,  to  domes  and  peaks  of  snow.  Glaciers  may  be 
seen  at  every  turn  of  the  steamer.  Not  an  hour — not 
one  mile  of  this  last  fifty -five  —  should  be  missed. 

In  winter  the  snow  descends  to  the  water's  edge  and 
this  stretch  is  exalted  to  sublimity.  The  waters  of  the 
canal  take  on  deep  tones  of  purple  at  sunset;  fires  of 
purest  old  rose  play  upon  the  mountains  and  glaciers  ; 
and  the  clear,  washed-out  atmospliere  brings  the  peaks 
forward  until  they  seem  to  overhang  the  steamer  throb- 
bing up  between  them. 

Lynn  Canal  is  really  but  a  narrowing  continuation  of 
Chatham  Strait.  Together  they  form  one  grand  fiord, 
two  hundred  miles  in  length,  with  scarcely  a  bend,  ex- 
tending directly  north  and  south.  From  an  average  width 
of  four  or  five  miles,  they  narrow,  in  places,  to  less  than 
half  a  mile. 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  135 

In  July,  1794,  Vancouver,  lying  at  Port  Althorp,  in 
Cross  Sound,  sent  Mr.  Whidbey  to  explore  the  continen- 
tal shore  to  the  eastward.  Mr.  Whidbey  sailed  through 
Icy  Strait,  seeing  the  glacier  now  known  as  the  Brady 
Glacier,  and  rounding  Point  Couverden,  sailed  up  Lynn 
Canal. 

Here,  as  usual,  he  was  simply  stunned  by  the  grandeur 
and  magnificence  of  the  scenery,  and  resorted  to  his  pet 
adjectives. 

"  Both  sides  of  this  arm  were  bounded  by  loftt/,  stupen- 
dous mountains,  covered  with  perpetual  ice  and  snow,  whilst 
the  shores  in  this  neighborhood  appeared  to  be  composed 
of  cliffs  of  very  fine  slate,  interspersed  with  beaches  of 
very  fine  paving  stone.  .  .  .  Up  this  channel  the  boats 
passed,  and  found  the  continental  shore  now  take  a  direc- 
tion N.  22  W.,  to  a  point  where  the  arm  narrowed  to  two 
miles  across  ;  from  whence  it  extended  ten  miles  further  in 
a  direction  N.  30  W.,  where  its  navigable  extent  termi- 
nated in  latitude  59°  12',  longitude  224°  33'.  This  sta- 
tion was  reached  in  the  morning  of  the  16th,  after  passing 
some  islands  and  some  rocks  nearly  in  mid-channel."  (It 
was  probably  on  one  of  these  that  the  Clara  Nevada  was 
wrecked  a  hundred  years  later.)  "  Above  the  northern- 
most of  these  (which  lies  four  miles  below  the  shoal  that 
extends  across  the  upper  part  of  the  arm,  there  about  a 
mile  in  width)  the  water  was  found  to  be  perfectly  fresh. 
Along  the  edge  of  this  shoal,  the  boats  passed  from  side 
to  side,  in  six  feet  water,  and  beyond  it,  the  head  of  the 
arm  extended  about  half  a  league,  where  a  small  opening 
in  the  land  was  seen,  about  the  fourth  of  a  mile  wide,  lead- 
ing to  the  northwestward,  from  whence  a  rapid  stream  of 
fresh  water  rushed  over  the  shoal "  (this  was  Chilkaht 
River).  "  But  this,  to  all  appearance,  was  bounded  at  no 
great  distance  by  a  continuation  of  the  same  lofty  ridge 
of  snowy  mountains  so  repeatedly  mentioned,  as  stretch- 


136        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ing  east warclly  from  Mount  Fairweather,  and  which,  in 
every  point  of  view  they  had  hitherto  been  seen,  appeared 
to  be  a  firm  and  close-connected  range  of  stupendous 
mountains,  forever  doomed  to  support  a  burthen  of  undissolv- 
ing ice  and  snow.'' 

Here,  it  will  be  observed,  Whidbey  was  so  unconsciously 
wrought  upon  by  the  sublimity  of  the  country  that  he  was 
moved  to  fairly  poetic  utterance.  He  seemed,  however, 
to  be  himself  doomed  to  support  forever  a  burthen  of 
gloom  and  undissolving  weariness  as  heavy  as  that  borne 
by  the  mountains. 

Up  this  river,  or,  as  Whidbey  called  it,  brook,  the 
Indians  informed  him,  eight  chiefs  of  great  consequence 
resided  in  a  number  of  villages.  He  was  urged  to  visit 
them.  Their  behavior  was  peaceable,  civil,  and  friendly  ; 
but  Mr.  Whidbey  declined  the  invitation,  and  returning, 
rounded,  and  named.  Point  Seduction,  and  passing  into 
Chilkoot  Inlet,  discovered  more  "  high,  stupendous  moun- 
tains, loaded  with  perpetual  ice  and  snow." 

After  exploring  Chilkoot  Inlet,  they  returned  down 
the  canal,  soon  falling  in  with  a  party  of  friendly  Indians, 
who  made  overtures  of  peace.  Mr.  Whidbey  describes 
their  chief  as  a  tall,  thin,  elderly  man.  He  was  dressed 
superbly,  and  supported  a  degree  of  state,  consequence, 
and  personal  dignity  which  had  been  foUnd  among  no 
other  Indians.  His  external  robe  was  a  very  fine  large 
garment  that  reached  from  his  neck  down  to  his  heels, 
made  of  wool  from  the  mountain  goat  —  the  famous 
Chilkaht  blanket  here  described,  for  the  first  time,  by  the 
unappreciative  Whidbey.  It  was  neatly  variegated  with 
several  colors,  and  edged  and  otherwise  decorated  with 
little  tufts  of  woollen  yarn,  dyed  of  various  colors.  His 
head-dress  was  made  of  wood,  resembling  a  crown,  and 
adorned  with  bright  copper  and  brass  plates,  whence  hung 
a  number  of  tails,  or  streamers,  composed  of  wool  and  fur 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  137 

worked  together,  dyed  of  various  colors,  and  each  termi- 
nating in  a  whole  ermine  skin. 

His  whole  appearance,  both  as  to  dress  and  manner,  was 
magnificent. 

Mr.  Whidbey  was  suspicious  of  the  good  intentions  of 
these  new  acquaintances,  and  was  therefore  well  prepared 
for  the  trouble  that  followed. 

Headed  by  the  splendid  chief,  the  Indians  attacked 
Whidbey's  part}^  in  boats,  and,  being  repulsed,  followed 
for  two  days. 

As  the  second  night  came  on  boisterously,  Mr.  Whidbey 
was  compelled  to  seek  shelter.  The  Indians,  understand- 
ing his  design,  hastened  to  shore  in  advance,  got  possession 
of  the  only  safe  beach,  drew  up  in  battle  array,  and 
stood  with  spears  couched,  ready  to  receive  the  explor- 
ing party.  (This  was  on  the  northern  part  of  Admiralty 
Island.) 

Here  appears  the  most  delicious  piece  of  unintentional 
humor  in  all  Vancouver's  narrative. 

"  There  was  now  no  alternative  but  either  to  force  a 
landing  by  firing  upon  them,  or  to  remain  at  their  oars  all 
night.  The  latter  Mr.  Whidbey  considered  to  be  not 
only  the  most  humane,  but  the  most  prudent  to  adopt, 
concluding  that  their  habitations  were  not  far  distant, 
and  believing  them,  from  the  number  of  smokes  that 
had  been  seen  during  the  day,  to  be  a  very  numerous 
tribe." 

They  probably  appeared  more  "  stupendous  "  than  any 
snow-covered  mountain  in  poor  Mr.  Whidbey's  startled 
eyes. 

To  avoid  a  "  dispute  "  with  these  "  troublesome  people," 
Mr.  Whidbey  withdrew  to  the  main  canal  and  stopped 
"  to  take  some  rest "  at  a  point  which  received  the 
felicitous  name  of  Point  Retreat,  on  the  northern  part  of 
Admiralty  Island — a  name  which  it  still  retains. 


138       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

In  the  following  month  Mr.  Whidbey  was  compelled  to 
rest  again  upon  his  extremely  humane  spirit,  to  the  south- 
ward in  Frederick  Sound, 

"  The  day  being  fair  and  pleasant,"  chronicles  Van- 
couver, "  Mr.  Whidbey  wished  to  embrace  this  opportunity 
of  drying  their  wet  clothes,  putting  their  arms  in  order. 
.  .  .  P'or  this  purpose  the  party  landed  on  a  commodious 
beach ;  but  before  they  had  finished  their  business  a  large 
canoe  arrived,  containing  some  women  and  children,  and 
sixteen  stout  Indian  men,  well  appointed  with  the  arms  of 
the  country.  .  .  .  Their  conduct  afterward  put  on  a 
very  suspicious  appearance  ;  the  children  withdrew  into  the 
woods,  and  the  rest  fixed  their  daggers  round  their  wrists, 
and  exhibited  other  indications  not  of  the  most  friendly 
nature.  To  avoid  the  chance  of  anything  unpleasant 
taking  place,  Mr.  Whidbey  considered  it  most  humane  and 
prudent  to  withdraw  "  —  which  he  did,  with  all  possible 
despatch. 

They  were  pursued  by  the  Indians ;  this  conduct 
"greatly  attracting  the  observation  of  the  party." 

Mr.  Whidbey  did  not  scruple  to  fire  into  a  fleeing  canoe; 
nor  did  he  express  any  sorrow  when  "  most  hideous  and 
extraordinary  noises  "  indicated  tliat  he  had  fired  to  good 
effect ;  but  the  instant  the  Indians  lined  up  in  considerable 
numbers  with  "  couched  spears  "  and  warlike  attitude,  the 
situation  immediately  became  "  stupendous "  and  Whid- 
bey's  ever  ready  "  humaneness  "  came  to  his  relief. 


CHAPTER   XII 

The  Davidson  Glacier  was  named  for  Professor  George 
Davidson,  who  was  one  of  its  earliest  explorers.  A  heavy 
forest  growth  covers  its  terminal  moraine,  and  detracts 
from  its  lower  beauty. 

Pyramid  Harbor,  at  the  head  of  Chilkaht  Inlet,  has  an 
Alaska  Packers'  cannery  at  the  base  of  a  mountain  which 
rises  as  straight  as  an  arrow  from  the  water  to  a  height 
of  eighteen  hundred  feet.  This  mountain  was  named 
Lahouchere,  for  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  steamer 
which,  in  1862,  was  almost  captured  by  the  Hoonah  Ind- 
ians at  Port  Frederick  in  Icy  Strait. 

Pyramid  Harbor  was  named  for  a  small  pyramid-shaped 
island  which  now  bears  the  same  name,  but  of  which  the 
Indian  name  is  Schlayhotch.  The  island  is  but  little 
more  than  a  tiny  cone,  rising  directly  from  the  water. 
Indians  camp  here,  in  large  numbers  in  the  summer-time, 
to  work  in  the  canneries.  The  women  sell  berries,  baskets, 
Chilkaht  blankets  of  deserved  fame,  and  other  curios. 

It  was  this  harbor  which  the  Canadians  in  the  Joint 
High  Commission  of  1898  unblushingly  asked  the  United 
States  to  cede  to  them,  together  with  Chilkaht  Inlet  and 
River,  and  a  strip  of  land  through  the  lisiere  owned  by  us. 

The  Chilkaht  River  flows  into  this  inlet  from  the  north- 
west. At  its  mouth  it  widens  into  low  tide  flats,  over 
which,  at  low  tide,  the  water  flows  in  ribbonish  loops. 
Here,  during  a  "  run,"  the  salmon  are  taken  in  countless 
thousands. 

139 


140  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  Chilkahts  and  Chilkoots  are  the  great  Indians  of 
Alaska.  They  comprise  the  real  aristocracy.  They  are 
a  brave,  bold,  courageous  race  ;  saucy  and  independent, 
constantly  carrying  a  "chip  on  the  shoulder,"  or  a  "feather 
pointing  forward  "  in  the  head-gear.  They  are  looked  up 
to  and  feared  by  the  Thlinkits  of  inferior  tribes. 

Their  villages  are  located  up  the  Chilkaht  and  Chilkoot 
rivers  ;  and  their  frequent  mountain  journeyings  have  de- 
veloped their  legs,  giving  them  a  well-proportioned,  athletic 
physique,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  bowed-  and  scrawny- 
legged  canoe  dwellers  to  the  southward  and  westward. 

They  are  skilful  in  various  kinds  of  work ;  but  their 
fame  will  eventually  endure  in  the  exquisite  dance- 
blankets,  known  as  the  Chilkaht  blanket.  These  blankets 
are  woven  of  the  wool  of  the  mountain  goat,  whose 
winter  coat  is  strong  and  coarse.  At  shedding  time  in 
the  spring,  as  the  goat  leaps  from  place  to  place,  the  wool 
clings  to  trees,  rocks,  and  bushes  in  thick  festoons. 
These  the  indolent  Indians  gather  for  the  weaving  of 
their  blankets,  rather  than  take  the  trouble  of  killing 
the  goats. 

This  delicate  and  beautiful  work  is,  like  the  Thlinkit 
and  Chilkaht  basket,  in  simple  twined  weaving.  The 
warp  hangs  loose  from  the  rude  loom,  and  the  wool  is 
woven  upward,  as  in  Attu  and  Haidah  basketry. 

The  owner  of  one  of  the  old  Chilkaht  blankets  pos- 
sesses a  treasure  beyond  price.  The  demand  has  cheap- 
ened the  quality  of  those  of  the  present  day ;  but  those 
of  Baranoff's  time  were  marvels  of  skill  and  coloring, 
considering  that  Indian  women's  dark  hands  were  the 
only  shuttles. 

Black,  white,  yellow,  and  a  peculiar  blue  are  the  colors 
most  frequently  observed  in  these  blankets  ;  and  a 
deep,  rich  red  is  becoming  more  common  than  formerly. 
A   wide  black,  or   dark,   band   usually  surrounds    them, 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  141 

border-wise,  and  a  fringe  as  wide  as  the  blanket  falls 
magnificently  from  the  bottom ;  a  narrower  one  from 
the  sides. 

The  old  and  rare  ones  were  from  a  yard  and  a  half 
to  two  yards  long.  The  modern  ones  are  much  smaller, 
and  may  be  obtained  as  low  as  seventy-five  dollars.  The 
designs  greatly  resemble  those  of  the  Haidah  hats  and 
basketry. 

The  full  face,  with  flaring  nostrils,  small  eyes,  and 
ferocious  display  of  teeth,  is  the  bear ;  the  eye  which 
appears  in  all  places  and  in  all  sizes  is  that  of  the  thunder- 
bird,  or,  with  the  Haidahs,  the  sacred  raven. 

There  is  an  Indian  mission,  named  Klukwan,  at  the 
head  of  the  inlet. 

The  Chilkahts  were  governed  by  chiefs  and  sub-chiefs. 
At  the  time  of  the  transfer  "Kohklux"  was  the  great 
chief  of  the  region.  He  was  a  man  of  powerful  will  and 
determined  character.  He  wielded  a  strong  influence 
over  his  tribes,  who  believed  that  he  bore  a  charmed  life. 
He  was  friendly  to  Americans  and  did  everything  in  his 
power  to  assist  Professor  George  Davidson,  who  went  to 
the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  in  1869  to  observe  the  solar  total 
eclipse. 

The  Indians  apparently  placed  no  faith  in  Professor 
Davidson's  announcement  of  approaching  darkness  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  however,  and  when  the  eclipse 
really  occurred,  they  fled  from  him,  as  from  a  devil,  and 
sought  the  safety  of  their  mountain  fastnesses. 

The  passes  through  these  mountains  they  had  held 
from  time  immemorial  against  all  comers.  The  Indians 
of  the  vast  interior  regions  and  those  of  the  coast  could 
trade  only  through  the  Chilkahts — the  scornful  aristo- 
crats and  powerful  autocrats  of  the  country. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

Coming  out  of  Chilkaht  Inlet  and  passing  around 
Seduction  Point  into  Chilkoot  Inlet,  Katscliin  River 
is  seen  flowing  in  from  the  northeast.  The  mouth  of 
this  river,  like  that  of  the  Chilkaht,  spreads  into  exten- 
sive flats,  making  the  channel  very  narrow  at  this  point. 

Across  the  canal  lies  Haines  Mission,  where,  in  1883, 
Lieutenant  Schwatka  left  his  wife  to  the  care  of  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  Willard,  while  he  was  absent  on  his  exploring 
expedition  down  the  Yukon. 

The  Willards  were  in  charge  of  this  mission,  which 
was  maintained  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions, 
until  some  trouble  arose  with  the  Indians  over  the  death 
of  a  child,  to  whom  the  Willards  had  administered 
medicines. 

"  Crossing  the  Mission  trail,"  writes  Lieutenant 
Schwatka,  "  we  often  traversed  lanes  in  the  grass,  which 
here  was  fully  five  feet  high,  while,  in  whatever  direc- 
tion the  eye  might  look,  wild  flowers  were  growing  in 
the  greatest  profusion.  Dandelions  as  big  as  asters, 
buttercups  twice  the  usual  size,  and  violets  rivalling  the 
products  of  cultivation  in  lower  latitudes  were  visible 
around.  It  produced  a  singular  and  striking  contrast 
to  raise  the  eyes  from  this  almost  tropical  luxuriance, 
and  allow  them  to  rest  on  Alpine  hills,  covered  halfway 
down  their  shaggy  sides  with  the  snow  and  glacier  ice, 
and  with  cold  mist  condensed  on  their  crowns.  .  .  . 
Berries   and   berry  blossoms   grew   in    a    profusion    and 

142 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  143 

variety  which  I  have  never  seen  equalled  within  the  same 
limits  in  lower  latitudes." 

This  was  early  in  June.  Here  the  lieutenant  first 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Alaska  mosquito  and  gnat, 
neither  of  which  is  to  be  ignored,  and  may  be  propitiated 
by  good  red  blood  only ;  also,  the  giant  devil's-club, 
which  he  calls  devil's-sticks.  He  was  informed  that  this 
nettle  was  formerly  used  by  the  shamans,  or  medicine- 
men, as  a  prophylactic  against  witchcraft,  applied  ex- 
ternally. 

The  point  of  this  story  will  be  appreciated  by  all  who 
have  come  in  personal  contact  with  this  plant,  so  tropical 
in  appearance  when  its  immense  green  leaves  are  spread 
out  flat  and  motionless  in  the  dusk  of  the  forest. 

From  Chilkoot  Inlet  the  steamer  glides  into  Taiya  In- 
let, which  leads  to  Skaguay.  Off  this  inlet  are  many 
glaciers,  the  finest  of  which  is  Ferebee. 

Chilkoot  Inlet  continues  to  the  northwestward.  Chil- 
koot River  flows  from  a  lake  of  the  same  name  into  the 
inlet.  There  are  an  Indian  village  and  large  canneries  on 
the  inlet. 

Taiya  Inlet  leads  to  Skaguay  and  Dyea.  It  is  a  nar- 
row water-way  between  high  mountains  which  are  covered 
nearly  to  their  crests  with  a  heavy  growth  of  cedar  and 
spruce.  They  are  crowned,  even  in  summer,  with  snow, 
which  flows  down  their  fissures  and  canyons  in  small  but 
beautiful  ghaciers,  while  countless  cascades  foam,  spar- 
kling, down  to  the  sea,  or  drop  sheer  from  such  great 
heights  that  the  beholder  is  bewildered  by  their  slow, 
never  ceasing  fall. 

Here,  —  at  the  mouth  of  the  Skaguay  River,  with  moun- 
tains rising  on  all  sides  and  the  green  waters  of  the  inlet 
pushing  restlessly  in  front ;  with  its  pretty  cottages 
climbing  over  the  foot-hills,  and  with  well-worn,  flower- 
strewn  paths  enticing  to  the  heights  ;  with  the  Skaguay's 


144  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

waters  winding  over  the  grassy  flats  like  blue  ribbons ; 
with  flower  gardens  beyond  description  and  boxes  in  every 
window  scarlet  with  bloom  ;  with  cascades  making  liquid 
and  most  sweet  music  by  day  and  irresistible  lullabies  by 
night,  and  with  snow  peaks  seeming  to  float  directly  over 
the  town  in  the  upper  pearl-pink  atmosphere  —  is  Skag- 
uay,  the  romantic,  the  marvellous,  the  town  which  grew 
from  a  dozen  tents  to  a  city  of  fifteen  thousand  people 
almost  in  a  night,  in  the  golden  year  of  ninety-eight. 

I  could  not  sleep  in  Skaguay  for  the  very  sweetness  of 
the  July  night,  A  cool  lavender  twilight  lingered  until 
eleven  o'clock,  and  then  the  large  moon  came  over  the 
mountains,  first  outlining  their  dark  crests  with  fire  ;  then 
throbbing  slowly  on  from  peak  to  peak  —  bringing  irre- 
sistibly to  mind  the  lines  :  — 

"  Like  a  great  dove  with  silver  wings 
Stretched,  quivering  o'er  the  sea, 
The  moon  her  glistening  plumage  brings 
And  hovers  silently." 

The  air  was  sweet  to  enchantment  with  flowers ;  and 
all  night  long  through  my  wide-open  window  came  the 
far,  dreamy,  continuous  music  of  the  water-falls. 

On  all  the  Pacific  Coast  there  is  not  a  more  interesting, 
or  a  more  profitable,  place  in  which  to  make  one's  head- 
quarters for  the  summer,  than  Skaguay.  More  side  trips 
may  be  made,  with  less  expenditure  of  time  and  money, 
from  this  point  than  from  any  other.  Launches  may  be 
hired  for  expeditions  down  Lynn  Canal  and  up  the  inlets, 
—  whose  unexploited  splendors  may  only  be  seen  in  this 
way ;  to  the  Meudenhall,  Davidson,  Denver,  Bertha,  and 
countless  smaller  glaciers ;  to  Haines,  Fort  Seward,  Pyra- 
mid Harbor,  and  Seduction  Point ;  while  by  canoe,  horse, 
or  his  own  good  legs,  one  may  get  to  the  top  of  Mount 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  145 

Dewey  and.  to  Dewey  Lake ;  up  Face  Mountain ;  to 
Dyea  ;  and  many  hunting  grounds  where  mountain  sheep, 
bear,  goat,  ptarmigan,  and  grouse  are  plentiful. 

The  famous  White  Pass  railway  —  which  was  built  in 
eighteen  months  by  the  "  Three  H's,"  Heney,  Hawkins, 
and  Hislop,  and  which  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  en- 
gineering feats  of  the  world  —  may  be  taken  for  a  trip 
which  is,  in  itself,  worth  going  a  thousand  miles  to  enjoy. 
Every  mile  of  the  way  is  historic  ground  —  not  only  to 
those  who  toiled  over  it  in  'ninety-seven  and  'ninety-eight, 
bent  almost  to  the  ground  beneath  their  burdens,  but  to 
the  whole  world,  as  well.  The  old  Brackett  wagon  road ; 
White  Pass  City;  the  "summit";  Bennett  Lake;  Lake 
Lindeman ;  White  Horse  Rapids ;  Grand  Canyon ;  Por- 
cupine Ridge  —  to  whom  do  these  names  not  stand  for 
tragedy  and  horror  and  broken  hearts? 

The  town  of  Skaguay  itself  is  more  historic  than  any 
other  point.  Here  the  steamers  lightered  or  floated 
ashore  men,  horses,  and  freight.  "  You  pay  your  money 
and  you  take  your  chance,"  the  paraphrase  went  in  those 
days.  Many  a  man  saw  every  dollar  he  had  in  provisions ' 
—  and  often  it  was  a  grubstake,  at  that  —  sink  to  the 
bottom  of  the  canal  before  his  eyes.  Others  saw  their 
outfits  soaked  to  ruin  with  salt  water.  For  those  who 
landed  safely,  there  were  horrors  yet  to  come. 

And  here,  between  these  mountains,  in  this  wind-racked 
canyon,  the  town  of  Skaguay  grew ;  from  one  tent  to 
hundreds  in  a  day,  from  hundreds  to  thousands  in  a 
week ;  from  tents  to  shacks,  from  shacks  to  stores  and 
saloons.  Here  "  Soapy  "  Smith  and  his  gang  of  outlaws 
and  murderers  operated  along  the  trail ;  here  he  was 
killed ;  here  is  his  dishonored  grave,  between  the  moun- 
tains which  will  not  endure  longer  than  the  tale  of  his 
desperate  crimes,  and  his  desperate  expiation. 

Not  the  handsome  style  of  man  that  one  would  expect 

L 


146  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

of  such  a  bold  and  daring  robber  was  "Soapy."  No 
flashing  black  eyes,  heavy  black  hair,  and  long  black  mus- 
tache made  him  "  a  living  flame  among  women,"  as  Rex 
Beach  would  put  it.  Small,  spare,  insignificant  in  ap- 
pearance, it  has  been  said  that  he  looked  more  like  an  ill- 
paid  frontier  minister  than  the  head  of  a  lawless  and 
desperate  gang  of  thieves. 

His  "  spotters "  were  scattered  along  the  trail  all  the 
way  to  Dawson.  They  knew  what  men  were  "  going  in," 
what  ones  "  coming  out,"  "heeled."  Such  men  were  al- 
ways robbed ;  if  not  on  the  road,  then  after  reaching 
Skaguay ;  when  they  could  not  safely,  or  easily,  be  robbed 
alive,  they  were  robbed  dead.  It  made  no  difference  to 
"Soapy"  or  his  gang  of  men  and  women.  It  was  a  reign 
of  terror  in  that  new,  unknown,  and  lawless  land. 

There  is  nothing  in  Skaguay  to-day  —  unless  it  be  the 
sinking  grave  of  "  Soapy  "  Smith,  which  is  not  found  by 
every  one  —  to  suggest  the  days  of  the  gold  rush,  to  the 
transient  visitor.  It  is  a  quiet  town,  where  law  and  order 
prevail.  It  is  built  chiefly  on  level  ground,  with  a  few 
very  long  streets — running  out  into  the  alders,  balms, 
spruces,  and  cottonwoods,  growing  thickly  over  the  river's 
flats. 

In  all  towns  in  Alaska  the  stores  are  open  for  business 
on  Sunday  when  a  steamer  is  in.  If  the  door  of  a  curio- 
store,  which  has  tempting  baskets  or  Chilkaht  blankets 
displayed  in  the  window,  be  found  locked,  a  dozen  small 
boys  shout  as  one,  "  Just  wait  a  minute,  lady.  Propri'- 
tor's  on  the  way  now.  He  just  stepped  out  for  breakfast. 
Wait  a  minute,  lady." 

We  arrived  at  Skaguay  early  on  a  Sunday  morning,  and 
were  directed  to  the  "'bus  "  of  the  leading  hotel.  We  rode 
at  least  a  mile  before  reachin";  it.  We  found  it  to  be  a 
wooden  structure,  four  or  five  stories  in  height;  the  large 
office  was  used  as  a  kind  of  general  living-room  as  well. 


ALASKA:    TUE    GREAT    COUNTRY  147 

The  rooms  were  comfortable  and  the  table  excellent.  The 
proprietress  grows  her  own  vegetables  and  flowers,  and 
keeps  cows,  chickens,  and  sheep,  to  enrich  her  table. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  we  went  to  the  sta- 
tion to  have  our  trunks  checked  to  Dawson.  The  doors 
stood  open.  We  entered  and  passed  from  room  to  room. 
There  was  no  one  in  sight.  The  square  ticket  window 
was  closed. 

We  hammered  upon  it  and  upon  every  closed  door. 
There  was  no  response.  We  looked  up  the  stairway,  but 
it  had  a  personal  air.  There  are  stairways  which  seem  to 
draw  their  steps  around  them,  as  a  duchess  does  her  furs, 
and  to  give  one  a  look  which  says,  "  Do  not  take  liber- 
ties with  me  !  "  —  while  others  seem  to  be  crying, 
"  Come  up;  come  up  !  "  to  every  passer-by.  I  have  never 
seen  a  stairway  that  had  the  duchess  air  to  the  degree  that 
the  one  in  the  station  at  Skaguay  has  it.  If  any  one 
doubts,  let  him  saunter  around  that  station  until  he  finds 
the  stairway  and  then  take  a  good  look  at  it. 

We  went  outside,  and  I,  being  the  questioner  of  the 
party,  asked  a  man  if  the  ticket  office  would  be  open  that 
day. 

He  squared  around,  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  bent 
his  wizened  body  backward,  and  gave  a  laugh  that  echoed 
down  the  street. 

"  God  bless  your  soul,  lady,"  said  he,  "  on  Sunday ! 
Only  an  extry  goes  out  on  Sundays,  to  take  round-trip 
tourists  to  the  summit  and  back  while  the  steamer  waits. 
To-day's  extry  has  gone." 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  mildly  but  firmly,  "  but  we  are  going  to 
Dawson  to-morrow.  Our  train  leaves  at  nine  o'clock,  and 
there  will  be  so  many  to  get  tickets  signed  and  baggage 
checked  —  " 

He  gave  another  laugh. 

"  Don't  you  worry,  lady.     Take  life  easy,  the  way  we 


148  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

do  here.  If  we  miss  one  train,  we  take  the  next  —  unless 
we  iniss  it,  too!  "     He  laughed  again. 

At  that  moment,  bowing  and  smiling  in  the  window  of 
the  ticket  office,  appeared  a  man  —  the  nicest  man  I 

"  Will  you  see  him  bow  ! "  gasped  my  friend.  "  Is  he 
bowing  at  us  9      Why  —  are  you  hoivivg  hack?''' 

"  Of  course  I  am." 

"  What  on  earth  does  he  want  ?  " 

"  He  wants  to  be  nice  to  us,"  I  replied;  and  she  followed 
me  inside. 

The  nice  face  was  smiling  through  the  little  square 
window. 

"  I  was  upstairs,"  he  said  —  ah,  he  had  descended  by 
way  of  the  "  Duchess,"  "  and  I  heard  you  rapping  on 
windows  and  doors  "  —  the  smile  deepened,  "  so  I  came 
down  to  see  if  I  could  serve  you." 

We  related  our  woes  ;  we  got  our  tickets  signed  and 
our  baggage  checked  ;  had  all  our  questions  answered  — 
and  they  were  not  few — and  the  following  morning  ate 
our  breakfast  at  our  leisure  and  were  greatly  edified  by 
our  fellow-travellers'  wild  scramble  to  get  their  bills  paid 
and  to  reach  the  station  in  time  to  have  their  baggage 
checked. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

Sailing  down  Lynn  Canal,  Chatham  Strait,  and  the  nar- 
row, winding  Peril  Strait,  the  sapphire-watered  and 
exquisitely  islanded  Bay  of  Sitka  is  entered  from  the 
north.  Six  miles  above  the  Sitka  of  to-day  a  large  wooden 
cross  marks  the  site  of  the  first  settlement,  the  scene  of 
the  great  massacre. 

On  one  side  are  the  heavily  and  richly  wooded  slopes 
of  Baranoff  Island,  crested  by  many  snow-covered  peaks 
which  float  in  the  higher  primrose  mist  around  the  bay; 
on  the  other,  water  avenues  —  growing  to  paler,  silvery 
blue  in  the  distance  —  wind  in  and  out  among  the  green 
islands  to  the  far  sea,  glimpses  of  which  may  be  had; 
while  over  all,  and  from  all  points  for  many  miles,  the 
round,  deeply  cratered  dome  of  Edgecumbe  shines  white 
and  glistening  in  the  sunlight.  It  is  the  superb  feature 
of  the  landscape;  the  crowning  glory  of  a  scene  that 
would  charm  even  without  it. 

Mount  Edgecumbe  is  the  home  of  Indian  myth  and 
legend  —  as  is  Nass  River  to  the  southeastward.  In 
appearance,  it  is  like  no  other  mountain.  It  is  only  eight 
thousand  feet  in  height,  but  it  is  so  round  and  symmetri- 
cal, it  is  so  white  and  sparkling,  seen  either  from  the 
ocean  or  from  the  inner  channels,  and  its  crest  is  sunken 
so  evenly  into  an  unforgettable  crater,  that  it  instantly 
impresses  upon  the  beholder  a  kind  of  personality  among 
mountains. 

In  beauty,  in  majesty,  in  sublimity,  it  neither  approaches 

149 


150       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

nor  compares  with  twenty  other  Alaskan  mountains  which 
I  have  seen  ;  but,  like  the  peerless  Shishaldin,  to  the  far 
westward,  it  stands  alone,  distinguished  by  its  unique 
features  from  all  its  sister  peaks. 

Not  all  the  streams  of  lava  that  have  flowed  down  its 
sides  for  hundreds  of  years  have  dulled  its  brilliance  or 
marred  its  graceful  outlines. 

I  have  searched  Vancouver's  chronicles,  expecting  to 
fined  Edgecumbe  described  as  "  a  mountain  having  a  very 
elegant  hole  in  the  top,"  —  to  match  his  "  elegant  fork  " 
on  jNIount  Olympus  of  Puget  Sound. 

Peril  Strait  is  a  dangerous  reach  leading  in  sweeping 
curves  from  Chatham  Strait  to  Salisbury  Sound.  It  is 
the  watery  dividing  line  between  Chichagoff  and  Baranoff 
islands.  It  has  two  narrows,  where  the  rapids  at  certain 
stages  of  the  tides  are  most  dangerous. 

Upon  entering  the  strait  from  the  east,  it  is  found  to 
be  wide  and  peaceful.  It  narrows  gradually  until  it 
finally  reaches,  in  its  forty-mile  windings,  a  width  of  less 
than  a  hundred  yards. 

There  are  several  islands  in  Peril  Strait  :  Fairway  and 
Trader's  at  the  entrance ;  Broad  and  Otstoi  on  the  star- 
board ;  Pouverstqi,  Elovoi,Rose,  and  Kane.  Between  Otstoi 
and  Pouverstoi  islands  is  Deadman's  Reach.  Here  are  Peril 
Point  and  Poison  Cove,  where  Baranoff  lost  a  hundred 
Aleuts  by  their  eating  of  poisonous  mussels  in  1799.  For 
this  reason  the  Russians  gave  it  the  name,  Pogibshi,  which, 
interpreted,  means  "  Destruction,"  instead  of  the  "  Perni- 
cious "  or  "  Peril  "  of  the  present  time. 

Deadman's  Reach  is  as  perilous  for  its  reefs  as  for  its 
mussels.  Hoggatt  Reef,  Dolph  Rock,  Ford  Rock,  Elovoi 
Island,  and  Krugloi  Reef  are  all  dangerous  obstacles  to 
navigation,  making  this  reach  as  interestingly  exciting  as 
it  is  beautiful. 

Fierce  tides  race  through  Sergius  Narrows,  and  steamers 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  151 

going  to  and  from  Sitka  are  guided  by  the  careful  calcu- 
lation of  their  masters,  that  they  may  arrive  at  the  narrows 
at  the  favorable  stage  of  the  tides.  Bores,  racing  several 
feet  high,  terrific  whirlpools,  and  boiling  geysers  make  it 
impossible  for  vessels  to  approach  when  the  tides  are  at 
their  worst.  This  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  reaches 
in  Alaska. 

Either  Rose  or  Adams  Channel  may  be  used  going  to 
Sitka,  but  the  latter  is  the  favorite. 

Kakul  Narrows  leads  into  Salisbury  Sound ;  but  the 
Sitkan  steamers  barely  enter  this  sound  ere  they  turn  to 
the  southeastward  into  Neva  Strait.  It  was  named  by 
Portlock  for  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury. 

Entrance  Island  rises  between  Neva  Strait  and  St.  John 
the  Baptist  Bay.  There  are  both  coal  and  marble  in  the 
latter  bay. 

Halleck  Island  is  completely  surrounded  by  Nakwasina 
Passage  and  Olga  Strait,  joining  into  one  grand  canal  of 
uniform  widtli. 

All  these  narrow,  tortuous,  and  perilous  water-ways  wind 
around  the  small  islands  that  lie  between  Baranoff  Island 
on  the  east  and  Kruzoff  Island  on  the  west.  Baranoff  is 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  long  and  as  wide  as  thirty 
miles  in  places.  Kruzoff  Island  is  small,  but  its  southern 
extremity,  lying  directly  west  of  Sitka,  shelters  that 
favored  place  from  the  storms  of  the  Pacific. 

Whitestone  Narrows  in  the  southern  end  of  Neva  Strait 
is  extremely  narrow  and  dangerous,  owing  to  sunken 
rocks.  Deep-draught  vessels  cannot  enter  at  low  tide, 
but  must  await  the  favorable  half-hour. 

Sitka  Sound  is  fourteen  miles  long  and  from  five  to 
eight  wide.  It  is  more  exquisitely  islanded  than  any 
other  bay  in  the  world  ;  and  after  passing  the  site  of  Bara- 
noff's  first  settlement  and  Old  Sitka  Rocks,  the  steamer's 
course  leads  through  a  misty  emerald  maze.     Sweeping 


152        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

slowly  around  the  green  shore  of  one  island,  a  dozen  others 
dawn  upon  the  beholder's  enraptured  vision,  frequently 
appearing  like  a  solid  wall  of  green,  which  presently  parts 
to  let  the  steamer  slide  through,  —  when,  at  once,  another 
dazzling  vista  opens  to  the  view. 

Before  entering  Sitka  Sound,  Halleck,  Partoffs-Chigoff, 
and  Krestoff  are  the  more  important  islands ;  in  Sitka 
Sound,  Crow,  Apple,  and  Japonski.  The  latter  island  is 
world-famous.  It  is  opposite,  and  very  near,  the  town ; 
it  is  about  a  mile  long,  and  half  as  wide  ;  its  name,  "  Japan," 
was  bestowed  because,  in  1805,  a  Japanese  junk  was 
wrecked  near  this  island,  and  the  crew  was  forced  to  dwell 
upon  it  for  weeks.  It  is  greenly  and  gracefully  draped 
with  cedar  and  spruce  trees,  and  is  an  object  of  much 
interest  to  tourists. 

Around  Japonski  cluster  more  than  a  hundred  small 
islands  of  the  Harbor  group ;  in  the  whole  sound  there 
are  probably  a  thousand,  but  some  are  mere  green  or 
rocky  dots  floating  upon  the  pale  blue  water. 

A  magnetic  and  meteorological  observatory  was  estab- 
lished on  Japonski  by  the  Russians  and  was  maintained 
until  1867. 


CHAPTER   XV 

The  Northwest  Coast  of  America  extended  from  Juan 
de  Fuca's  Strait  to  the  sixtieth  parallel  of  north  latitude. 
Under  the  direction  of  the  powerful  mind  of  Peter  the 
Great  explorations  in  the  North  Pacific  were  planned. 
He  wrote  the  following  instructions  with  his  own  hand, 
and  ordered  the  Chief  Admiral,  Count  Fedor  Apraxin,  to 
see  that  they  were  carried  into  execution  :  — 

First.  —  One  or  two  boats,  with  decks,  to  be  built  at 
Kamchatka,  or  at  any  other  convenient  place,  with  which 

Second.  —  Inquiry  should  be  made  in  relation  to  the 
northerly  coasts,  to  see  whether  they  were  not  contiguous 
with  America,  since  their  end  was  not  known.  And  this 
done,  they  should 

Third.  —  See  whether  they  could  not  somewhere  find 
an  harbor  belonging  to  Europeans,  or  an  European  ship. 
They  should  likewise  set  apart  some  men  who  were  to 
inquire  after  the  name  and  situation  of  the  coasts  dis- 
covered. Of  all  this  an  exact  journal  should  be  kept, 
with  which  they  should  return  to  St.  Petersburg. 

Before  these  instructions  could  be  carried  out,  Peter 
the  Great  died. 

His  Empress,  Catherine,  however,  faithfully  carried  out 
his  plans. 

The  first  expedition  set  out  in  1725,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Vitus  Behring,  a  Danish  captain  in  the  Russian 
service,  with  Lieutenants  Spanberg  and  Chirikoff  as 
assistants.     They  carried  several  officers  of  inferior  rank ; 

163 


154  ALASKA:    TUB    GREAT    COUNTRY 

also  seamen  and  ship-builders.  Boats  were  to  be  built  at 
Kamchatka,  and  they  started  overland  through  Siberia  on 
February  the  fifth  of  that  year.  Owing  to  many  trials 
and  hardships,  it  was  not  until  1728  that  Behring  sailed 
along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  peninsula,  passing  and 
naming  St.  Lawrence  Island,  and  on  through  Behring 
Strait.  There,  finding  that  the  coast  turned  westward, 
his  natural  conclusion  was  that  Asia  and  America  were 
not  united,  and  he  returned  to  Kamchatka.  In  1734, 
under  the  patronage  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth,  Peter  the 
Great's  daughter,  a  second  expedition  made  ready ;  but 
owing  to  insurmountable  difficulties,  it  was  not  until  Sep- 
tember, 1740,  that  Behring  and  Chirikoff  set  sail  in  the 
packet-boats  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  —  Behring  command- 
ing the  former  —  from  Kamchatka.  They  wintered  at 
Avatcha  on  the  Kamchatkan  Peninsula,  where  a  few 
buildings,  including  a  church,  were  hastily  erected,  and 
to  which  the  name  of  Petropavlovsk  was  given. 

On  June  4,  1741,  the  two  ships  finally  set  sail  on  their 
eventful  voyage  —  how  eventful  to  us  of  the  United 
States  we  are  only,  even  now,  beginning  to  realize. 
They  were  accompanied  by  Lewis  de  Lisle  de  Croyere, 
professor  of  astronomy,  and  Georg  Wilhelm  Steller,  natu- 
ralist. 

Miiller,  the  historian,  and  Gmelin,  professor  of  chem- 
istry and  natural  history,  also  volunteered  in  1733  to 
accompany  the  expedition  ;  but  owing  to  the  long  delay, 
and  ill-health  arising  from  arduous  labors  in  Kamchatka, 
they  were  compelled  to  permit  the  final  expedition  to  de- 
part without  them. 

On  the  morning  of  June  20,  the  two  ships  became 
separated  in  a  gale  and  never  again  sighted  one  an- 
other. Chirikoff  took  an  easterly  course,  and  to  him, 
on  the  fifteenth  of  July,  fell,  by  chance,  the  honor  of  the 
first  discovery  of  land  on  the  American  continent,  oppo- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  155 

site  Kamchatka,  in  55°  21'.  Here  he  lost  two  boatloads  of 
seamen  whom  he  sent  ashore  for  investigation,  and  whose 
tragic  fate  may  only  be  guessed  from  the  appearance  of 
savages  later,  upon  the  shore. 

That  the  first  Russians  landing  upon  the  American 
continent  should  have  met  with  so  horrible  a  fate  as  theirs 
is  supposed  to  have  been,  has  been  considered  by  the 
superstitious  as  an  evil  omen.  The  first  boat  sent  ashore 
contained  ten  armed  sailors  and  was  commanded  by  the 
mate,  Abraham  Mikhailovich  Dementief.  The  latter  is 
described  as  a  capable  young  man,  of  distinguished  family, 
of  fine  personal  appearance,  and  of  kind  heart,  who,  having 
suffered  from  an  unfortunate  love  affair,  had  offered  him- 
self to  serve  his  country  in  this  most  hazardous  expedi- 
tion. They  were  furnished  with  provisions  and  arms, 
including  a  small  brass  cannon,  and  given  a  code  of  sig- 
nals by  Chirikoff,  by  which  they  might  communicate  with 
the  ship.  The  boat  reached  the  shore  and  passed  behind 
a  point  of  land.  For  several  days  signals  which  were 
supposed  to  indicate  that  the  party  was  alive  and  well, 
were  observed  rising  at  intervals.  At  last,  however, 
great  anxiety  was  experienced  by  those  on  board  lest  the 
boat  should  have  sustained  damage  in  some  way,  making 
it  impossible  for  the  party  to  return.  On  the  fifth  day 
another  boat  was  sent  ashore  with  six  men,  including  a 
carpenter  and  a  calker.  They  effected  a  landing  at  the 
same  place,  and  shortly  afterward  a  great  smoke  was  ob- 
served, pushing  its  dark  curls  upward  above  the  point  of 
land  behind  which  the  boats  had  disappeared. 

The  following  morning  two  boats  were  discovered  put- 
ting off  from  the  shore.  There  was  great  rejoicing  on 
the  ship,  for  the  night  had  been  passed  in  deepest  anxiety, 
and  without  further  attention  to  the  boats,  preparations 
were  hastily  made  for  immediate  sailing.  Soon,  however, 
to  the  dread  and  horror  of  all,  it  was  discovered  that  the 


156  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

boats  were  caiioes  filled  with  savages,  who,  at  sight  of  the 
ship,  gave  unmistakable  signs  of  astonishment,  and  shout- 
ing "Agai!     Agai !  "  turned  hastily  back  to  the  shore. 

Silence  and  consternation  fell  upon  all.  Chirikoif,  hu- 
mane and  kind-hearted,  bitterly  bewailed  the  fate  of  his 
men.  A  wind  soon  arising,  he  was  forced  to  make  for 
the  open  sea.  He  remained  in  the  vicinity,  and  as  soon 
as  it  was  possible,  returned  to  his  anchorage ;  but  no 
signs  of  the  unfortunate  sailors  were  ever  discovered. 

Without  boats,  and  without  sufficient  men,  no  attempt 
at  a  rescue  could  be  made ;  nor  was  further  exploration 
possible ;  and  heavy-hearted  and  discouraged,  notwith- 
standing his  brilliant  success,  Chirikoff  again  weighed 
anchor  and  turned  his  ship  homeward. 

He  and  his  crew  were  attacked  by  scurvy ;  provisions 
and  water  became  almost  exhausted  ;  Chirikoff  was  con- 
fined to  his  berth,  and  many  died ;  some  islands  of  the 
chain  now  known  as  the  Aleutians  were  discovered ;  and 
finally,  on  the  8th  of  October,  17-11,  after  enduring  in- 
expressible hardships,  great  physical  and  mental  suffering, 
and  the  loss  of  twenty-one  men,  they  arrived  on  the  coast 
of  Kamchatka  near  the  point  of  their  departure. 

In  the  meantime,  on  the  day  following  Chirikoff 's  dis- 
covery of  land.  Commander  Behring,  far  to  the  north- 
westward, saw,  rising  before  his  enraptured  eyes,  the 
splendid  presence  of  Mount  St,  Elias,  and  the  countless, 
and  scarcely  less  splendid,  peaks  which  surround  it,  and 
which,  stretching  along  the  coast  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
whitely  and  silently  people  this  region  with  majestic  beauty. 
Steller,  in  his  diary,  claims  to  have  discovered  land  on  the 
fifteenth,  but  was  ridiculed  by  his  associates,  although  it 
was  clearly  visible  to  all  in  the  same  place  on  the  follow- 
ing day. 

They  effected  a  landing  on  an  island,  which  they  named 
St.  Elias,  in   honor  of  the  day   upon   which   it  was    dis- 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  157 

covered.  It  is  now  known  as  Kayak  Island,  but  the 
mountain  retains  the  original  name.  Having  accom- 
plished the  purpose  of  his  expedition,  Behring  hastily 
turned  the  St.  Peter  homeward. 

For  this  haste  Behring  has  been  most  severely  criticised. 
But  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  prep- 
arations for  this  second  expedition  had  begun  in  1733  ; 
that  during  all  those  years  of  difficult  travelling  through 
Siberia,  of  boat  building  and  the  establishment  of  posts 
and  magazines  for  the  storing  of  provisions,  he  had  been 
hampered  and  harassed  almost  beyond  endurance  by  the 
quarrelling,  immorality,  and  dishonesty  of  his  subordi- 
nates ;  that  for  all  dishonesty  and  blunders  he  was  made 
responsible  to  the  government;  and  that  so  many  com- 
plaints of  him  had  been  forwarded  to  St.  Petersburg  by 
officers  whom  he  had  reprimanded  or  otherwise  punished 
that  at  last,  in  1739,  officers  had  been  sent  to  Ohkotsk  to 
investigate  his  management  of  the  preparations  ;  that  he 
had  now  discovered  that  portion  of  the  American  conti- 
nent which  he  had  set  out  to  discover,  had  lost  Chirikoff, 
upon  whose  youth  and  hopefulness  he  had  been,  perhaps 
unconsciously,  relying;  and  —  most  human  of  all  —  that 
he  had  a  young  and  lovely  wife  and  two  sons  in  Russia 
whom  he  had  not  seen  for  years  (and  whom  he  was  des- 
tined never  to  see  again) ;  when  we  take  all  these  things 
into  consideration,  there  seems  to  be  but  little  justice  in 
these  harsh  criticisms. 

To-day,  there  is  no  portion  of  the  Alaskan  coast  more 
unreliable,  nor  more  to  be  dreaded  by  mariners,  than  that 
in  the  vicinity  of  Behring's  discovery.  Even  in  summer 
violent  winds  and  heavy  seas  are  usually  encountered. 
Steamers  cannot  land  at  Kayak,  and  passengers  and 
freight  are  lightered  ashore ;  and  when  this  is  accom- 
plished without  disaster  or  great  difficulty,  the  trip  is 
spoken  of  as  an  exceptional  one.     Yet  Behring  remained 


158  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

in  this  dangerous  anchorage  five  days.  Several  landings 
were  made  on  the  two  Kayak  Islands,  and  on  various  smaller 
ones.  Some  Indian  huts,  without  occupants,  were  found 
and  entered.  They  were  built  of  logs  and  rough  bark 
and  roofed  with  tough  dried  grasses.  There  were,  also, 
some  sod  cellars,  in  which  dried  salmon  was  found.  In 
one  of  the  cabins  were  copper  implements,  a  whetstone, 
some  arrows,  ropes,  and  cords  made  of  sea-weed,  and  rude 
household  utensils ;  also  herbs  which  had  been  prepared 
according  to  Kamchatkan  methods. 

Returning,  Behring  discovered  and  named  many  of  the 
Aleutian  Islands  and  exchanged  presents  with  the  friendly 
natives.  They  were,  however,  overtaken  by  storms  and 
violent  illness ;  they  suffered  of  hunger  and  thirst ;  so 
many  died  that  barely  enough  remained  to  manage  the 
ship.  Finally  on  November  5,  in  attempting  to  land, 
the  St.  Peter  was  wrecked  on  a  small  island,  where,  on 
the  8th  of  December,  in  a  wretched  hut,  half  covered 
with  sand  which  sifted  incessantly  through  the  rude 
boards  that  were  his  only  roof,  and  after  suffering  unim- 
aginable agonies,  the  illustrious  Dane,  Vitus  Behring, 
died  the  most  miserable  of  deaths.  The  island  was 
named  for  him,  and  still  retains  the  name,  being  the 
larger  of  the  Commander  Islands. 

The  survivors  of  the  wreck  remaining  on  Behring 
Island  dragged  out  a  wretched  existence  until  spring,  in 
holes  dug  in  the  sand  and  roofed  with  sails.  Water  they 
had ;  but  their  food  consisted  chiefly  of  the  flesh  of  sea- 
otters  and  seals.  In  May,  weak,  emaciated,  and  hopeless 
thougli  they  were,  and  with  their  brave  leader  gone,  they 
began  building  a  boat  from  the  remnants  of  the  St.  Peter. 
It  was  not  completed  until  August  ;  when,  with  many 
fervent  prayers,  they  embarked,  and,  after  nine  da5"s  of 
mingled  dread  and  anxiety  in  a  frail  and  leaking  craft, 
they  arrived  safely  on  the  Kamchatkan  shore. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  159 

All  hope  of  their  safety  had  long  been  abandoned,  and 
there  was  great  rejoicing  upon  their  return.  Out  of  their 
own  deep  gratitude  a  memorial  was  placed  in  the  church 
at  Petropavlovsk,  which  is  doubtless  still  in  existence, 
as  it  was  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  a  few  years  ago. 

Russian  historians  at  first  seemed  disposed  to  depre- 
ciate Behring's  achievement,  and  to  over-exalt  the  Rus- 
sian, Chirikoff.  They  made  the  claim  that  the  latter 
was  a  man  of  high  intellectual  attainments,  courageous, 
hopeful,  and  straightforward ;  kind-hearted,  and  giving 
thought  to  and  for  others.  He  was  instructor  of  the 
marines  of  the  guard,  but  after  having  been  recom- 
mended to  Peter  the  Great  as  a  young  man  highly  quali- 
fied to  accompany  the  expedition  under  Behring,  he  was 
promoted  to  a  lieutenancy  and  accompanied  the  latter  on 
his  first  expedition  in  1725  ;  and  on  the  second,  in  1741, 
he  was  made  commander  of  the  St.  Pevril^  or  St.  Paul, 
"  not  by  seniority  but  on  account  of  superior  knowledge 
and  worth."  Despite  the  fact  that  Behring  was  placed 
by  the  emperor  in  supreme  command  of  both  expeditions, 
the  Russians  looked  upon  Chirikoff  as  the  real  hero.  He 
was  a  favorite  with  all,  and  in  the  accounts  of  quarrels 
and  dissensions  among  the  heads  of  the  various  detach- 
ments of  scientists  and  naval  officers  of  the  expedition, 
the  name  of  Chirikoff  does  not  appear.  His  wife  and 
daughter  accompanied  him  to  Siberia. 

Captain  Vitus  Behring  —  or  Ivan  Ivanovich,  as  the 
Russians  called  him — is  described  as  a  man  of  intelli- 
gence, honesty,  and  irreproachable  conduct,  but  rather 
inclined  in  his  later  years  to  vacillation  of  purpose  and 
indecision  of  character,  yielding  easily  to  an  irritable  and 
capricious  temper.  Whether  these  facts  were  due  to  age 
or  disease  is  not  known ;  but  that  they  seriously  affected 
his  fitness  for  the  command  of  an  exploration  is  not 
denied,  even  by  his  admirers.     Even  so  sane  and  consci- 


160  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

entious  an  historian  as  Dall  calls  him  timid,  hesitating, 
and  indolent,  and  refers  to  his  "characteristic  imbecility," 
"utter  incapacity,"  and  "total  incompetency."  It  is  in- 
credible, however,  that  a  man  of  such  gross  faults  should 
have  been  given  the  command  of  this  brilliant  expedition 
by  so  wise  and  great  a  monarch  as  Peter.  Behring  died, 
—  old,  discouraged,  in  indescribable  anguish;  suspicious 
of  every  one,  doubting  even  Steller,  the  naturalist  Mdio 
accompanied  the  expedition  and  who  was  his  faithful 
friend.  Chirikoff  returned,  young,  flushed  with  success, 
popular  and  in  favor  with  all,  from  the  Empress  down  to 
his  subordinates.  Favored  at  the  outset  by  youth  and 
a  cheerful  spirit,  his  bright  particular  star  guided  him  to 
the  discovery  of  land  a  few  hours  in  advance  of  Behring. 
This  was  his  good  luck  and  his  good  luck  only.  Vitus 
Behring,  the  Dane  in  the  Russian  service,  was  in  supreme 
command  of  the  expedition  ;  and  to  him  belongs  the  glory. 
One  cannot  to-day  sail  that  magnificent  sweep  of  purple 
water  between  Alaska  and  Eastern  Siberia  without  a 
thrill  of  thankfulness  that  the  fame  and  the  name  of  the 
illustrious  Dane  are  thus  splendidly  perpetuated. 

To-day,  his  name  is  heard  in  Alaska  a  thousand  times 
where  Chirikoff's  is  heard  once.  The  glory  of  the  latter 
is  fading,  and  Behring  is  coming  to  his  own — Russians 
speaking  of  him  with  a  pride  that  approaches  veneration. 

Captain  Martin  Petrovich  Spanberg,  the  third  in  com- 
mand of  the  expedition,  was  also  a  Dane.  He  is  every- 
where described  as  an  illiterate,  coarse,  cruel  man; 
grasping,  selfish,  and  unscrupulous  in  attaining  ends 
that  made  for  his  own  advancement.  In  his  study  of 
the  character  of  Spanberg,  Bancroft  —  who  has  furnished 
the  most  complete  and  painstaking  description  of  these 
expeditions  —  makes  comment  which  is,  perhaps  uninten- 
tionally, humorous.  After  describing  Spanberg  as  exceed- 
ingly   avaricious    and    cruel,    and    stating   that   his    bad 


Copyright  b>  h\  11.  .\c,«,-l],  S 


Kow-Ear-Jsuk  and  his  Duying  Salmc 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  161 

reputation  extended  over  all  Siberia,  and  that  his  name 
appears  in  hundreds  of  complaints  and  petitions  from 
victims  of  his  licentiousness,  cruelty,  and  avarice,  Bancroft 
naively  adds,  "He  was  just  the  man  to  become  rich." 
Wealthy  people  may  take  such  comfort  as  they  can  out 
of  the  comment. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

iNSPrRED  by  the  important  discoveries  of  this  expedition 
and  by  the  hope  of  a  profitable  fur  trade  with  Cliina, 
various  Russian  traders  and  adventurers,  known  as 
"  promyshleniki,"  made  voyages  into  the  newly  discovered 
regions,  pressing  eastward  island  by  island,  and  year  by 
year ;  beginning  that  long  tale  of  cruelty  and  bloodshed 
in  the  Aleutian  Islands  which  has  not  yet  reached  an  end. 
Men  as  harmless  as  the  pleading,  soft-eyed  seals  were 
butchered  as  heartlessly  and  as  shamelessly,  that  their 
stocks  of  furs  might  be  appropriated  and  their  women 
ravished.  In  1745  Alexei  Beliaief  and  ten  men  inveigled 
fifteen  Aleutians  into  a  quarrel  with  the  sole  object  of 
killing  them  and  carrying  off  their  women.  In  1762,  the 
crew  of  the  G-avril  persuaded  twenty-five  young  Aleutian 
girls  to  accompany  them  "•  to  pick  berries  and  gather  roots 
for  the  ship's  company."  On  the  Kamchatkan  coast 
several  of  the  crew  and  sixteen  of  these  girls  were  landed 
to  pick  berries.  Two  of  the  girls  made  their  escape  into 
the  hills;  one  was  killed  by  a  sailor;  and  the  others  cast 
themselves  into  the  sea  and  were  drowned.  Gavril 
Pushkaref,  who  was  in  command  of  the  vessel,  ordered 
that  all  the  remaining  natives,  with  the  exception  of  one 
boy  and  an  interpreter,  should  be  thrown  overboard  and 
drowned. 

These  are  only  two  instances  of  the  atrocious  outrages 
perpetrated  upon  these  innocent  and  childlike  people  by 
the  brutal  and  licentious    traders    who  have   frequented 

162 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  163 

these  far  beautiful  islands  from  1745  to  the  present  time. 
From  year  to  year  now  dark  and  horrible  stories  float  down 
to  us  from  the  far  northwestward,  or  vex  our  ears  when  we 
sail  into  those  pale  blue  water-ways.  Nor  do  they  con- 
cern "  promyshleniki  "  alone.  Charges  of  the  gravest 
nature  have  been  made  against  men  of  high  position  who 
spend  much  time  in  the  Aleutian  Islands.  That  these 
gentle  people  have  suffered  deeply,  silently,  and  shamefully, 
at  the  hands  of  white  men  of  various  nationalities,  has 
never  been  denied,  nor  questioned.  It  is  well  known  to 
be  the  simple  truth.  From  1760  to  about  1766  the  natives 
rebelled  at  their  treatment  and  active  hostilities  were 
carried  on.  Many  Russians  were  killed,  some  were 
tortured.  Solovief,  upon  arriving  at  Unalaska  and  learn- 
ing the  fate  of  some  of  his  countrymen,  resolved  to  avenge 
them.  His  designs  were  carried  out  with  unrelenting 
cruelty.  By  some  writers,  notably  Berg,  his  crimes  have 
been  palliated,  under  the  plea  that  nothing  less  than  ex- 
treme brutality  could  have  so  soon  reduced  the  natives  to 
the  state  of  fear  and  humility  in  which  they  have  ever 
since  remained  —  failing  to  take  into  consideration  the 
atrocities  perpetrated  upon  the  natives  for  years  before 
their  open  revolt. 

In  1776  we  find  the  first  mention  of  Grigor  Ivanovich 
Shelikoff;  but  it  was  not  until  1781  that  he  succeeded  in 
making  the  first  permanent  Russian  settlement  in  America, 
on  Kodiak  Island,  —  forty-three  dark  and  strenuous  years 
after  Vitus  Behring  saw  Mount  St.  Elias  rising  out  of  the 
sea.  Shelikoff  was  second  only  to  Baranoff  in  the  early 
history  of  Russian  America,  and  is  known  as  "the  founder 
and  father  of  Russian  colonies  in  America."  His  wife, 
Natalie,  accompanied  him  upon  all  his  voyages.  She  was 
a  woman  of  very  unusual  character,  energetic  and  am- 
bitious, and  possessed  of  great  business  and  executive 
ability.     After  her  husband's  death,  her  management  for 


164  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

many  years  of  not  only  her  own  affairs,  but  those  of  the 
Shelikoff  Company  as  well,  reflected  great  credit  upon 
herself. 

It  was  the  far-sighted  Shelikoff  who  suggested  and  carried 
out  the  idea  of  a  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  in  Russian 
America  under  imperial  charter.  As  a  result  of  his 
forceful  presentation  of  this  scheme  and  the  able  —  and 
doubtless  selfish  —  assistance  of  General  Jacobi,  the  gov- 
ernor-general of  Eastern  Siberia,  the  Empress  became 
interested.  In  1788  an  imperial  ukase  was  issued,  grant- 
ing to  the  Shelikoff  Company  exclusive  control  of  the 
territory  already  occupied  by  them.  Assistance  from  the 
public  coffers  was  at  that  time  withheld;  but  the  Empress 
graciously  granted  to  Shelikoff  and  his  partner,  Golikof, 
swords  and  medals  containing  her  portrait.  The  medals 
were  to  be  worn  around  their  necks,  and  bore  inscriptions 
explaining  that  they  "  had  been  conferred  for  services 
rendered  to  humanity  by  noble  and  bold  deeds." 

Although  Shelikoff  greatly  preferred  the  pecuniary 
assistance  from  the  government,  he  nevertheless  accepted 
with  a  good  grace  the  honor  bestowed,  and  bided  his  time 
patiently. 

In  accordance  with  commands  issued  by  the  commander 
at  Ohkotsk  and  by  the  Empress  herself,  Shelikoff  adopted 
a  policy  of  humanity  in  his  relations  with  the  natives, 
although  it  is  suspected  that  this  was  on  account  of  his 
desire  to  please  the  Empress  and  work  out  his  own  designs, 
rather  than  the  result  of  his  own  kindness  of  heart. 

With  the  clearness  of  vision  whicli  distinguished  his 
whole  career,  Shelikoff  selected  Alexander  Baranoff  as  his 
agent  in  the  territory  lying  to  the  eastward  of  Kodiak. 
In  Voskresseuski,  or  Sunday,  Harbor  —  now  Resurrection 
Bay,  on  which  the  town  of  Seward  is  situated  —  Baranoff" 
built  in  1794  the  first  vessel  to  glide  into  the  waters  of 
Northwestern  America  —  the  Phcenix.      At  the  request  of 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  165 

Shelikoff  a  colony  of  two  hundred  convicts,  accompanied 
by  twenty  priests,  were  sent  out  by  imperial  ukase,  and 
established  at  Yakutat  Bay,  under  Baranoff.  During  the 
years  that  followed  many  complaints  were  entered  by  the 
clergy  against  Baranoff  for  cruelty,  licentiousness,  and 
mismanagement  of  the  company's  affairs.  But,  whatever 
his  faults  may  have  been,  it  is  certain  that  no  man  could 
have  done  so  much  for  the  promotion  of  the  company's 
interests  at  that  time  as  Baranoff;  nor  could  any  other  so 
efticiently  have  conducted  its  affairs. 

It  was  during  his  governorship  that  the  rose  of  success 
bloomed  brilliantl}^  for  the  Russian-American  Company 
in  the  colonies.  He  was  a  shrewd,  tireless,  practical 
business  man.  His  successors  were  men  distinguished  in 
army  and  navy  circles,  haughty  and  patrician,  but  abso- 
lutely lacking  in  business  ability,  and  ignorant  of  the 
unique  conditions  and  needs  of  the  country. 

After -Baranoff's  resignation  and  death,  the  revenues  of 
the  company  rapidly  declined,  and  its  vast  operations  were 
conducted  at  a  loss. 

It  was  in  1791  that  Baranoff  assumed  command  of  all  the 
establishments  on  the  island  of  the  Shelikoff  Company  which, 
under  imperial  patronage,  liad  already  secured  a  partial  mo- 
nopoly of  the  American  fur  trade.  Owing  to  competition  by 
independent  traders,  the  large  company,  after  the  death  of 
Shelikoff,  united  with  its  most  influential  rival,  under  the 
name  of  the  Shelikoff  United  Company.  The  following 
year  this  company  secured  an  imperial  ukase  which  granted 
to  it,  under  the  name  of  the  Russian-American  Company, 
"  full  privileges,  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  on  the  coast 
of  North-western  America,  beginning  from  latitude  fifty- 
five  degrees  North,  and  including  the  chain  of  islands  ex- 
tending from  Kamchatka  northward  to  America  and 
southward  to  Japan  ;  the  exclusive  right  to  all  enterprises, 
whetlier  hunting,  trading,  or  building,  and  to  new  discov- 


166  ALASKA:    TUE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

eries,  with  strict  prohibition  from  profiting  by  any  of  these 
pursuits,  not  only  to  all  parties  who  might  engage  in  them 
on  their  own  responsibility,  but  also  to  those  who  formerly 
had  ships  and  establishments  there,  except  those  who  have 
united  with  the  new  company." 

In  the  same  year  a  fort  was  established  by  Baranoff,  on 
what  is  now  Sitka  Sound.  This  was  destroyed  by  natives  ; 
and  in  1804  another  fort  was  erected  by  Baranoff,  near  the 
site  of  the  former  one,  which  he  named  Fort  Archangel 
Michael.  This  fort  is  the  present  Sitka.  Its  establish- 
ment enabled  the  Russian-American  Company  to  extend 
its  operations  to  the  islands  lying  southward  and  along  the 
continental  shore. 

We  now  come  to  the  most  fascinating  portion  of  the  his- 
tory of  Alaska.  Not  even  the  wild  and  romantic  days  of 
gold  excitement  in  the  Klondike  can  equal  Baranoff 's  reign 
at  Sitka  for  picturesqueness  and  mysterious  charm.  The 
strength  and  personality  of  the  man  were  such  that  to-day 
one  who  is  familiar  with  his  life  and  story,  entering  Sitka, 
will  unconsciously  feel  his  presence  ;  and  will  turn,  with 
a  sigh,  to  gaze  upon  the  commanding  height  where  once 
his  castle  stood. 

There  were  many  dark  and  hopeless  days  for  Baranoff 
during  his  first  years  with  the  company,  and  it  was  while 
in  a  state  of  deep  discouragement  and  hopelessness  that  he 
received  the  news  of  his  appointment  as  chief  manager  of 
the  newly  organized  Russian-American  Company.  Most 
of  his  plans  and  undertakings  had  failed ;  many  Russians 
and  natives  had  been  lost  on  hunting  voyages  ;  English 
and  American  traders  had  superseded  him  at  every  point 
to  the  eastward  of  Kodiak  ;  many  of  his  iVleutian  hunters 
had  been  killed  in  conflict  with  the  savage  Thlinkits  ;  he 
had  lost  a  sloop  which  had  been  constructed  at  Voskressen- 
ski  Bay  ;  and  finally,  he  had  returned  to  Kodiak  enduring 
the  agonies  of  inflammatory  rheumatism,  only  to  be  re- 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  167 

proaclied  by  the  subordinates,  who  were  suffering  of  actual 
hunger  —  so  long  had  they  been  without  relief  from  supply 
ships. 

In  this  dark  hour  the  ship  arrived  which  carried  not  only 
good  tidings,  but  plentiful  supplies  as  well.  Baranoff's  star 
now  shone  brightly,  leading  him  on  to  hope  and  renewed 
effort. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  1799,  Baranoff,  with 
two  vessels  manned  by  twenty-two  Russians,  and  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  canoes,  set  sail  for  the  eastward.  Many  of 
the  natives  were  lost  by  foundering  of  the  canoes,  and 
many  more  by  slaughter  at  the  hands  of  the  Kolosh,  but 
finally  they  arrived  at  a  point  now  known  as  Old  Sitka, 
six  miles  north  of  the  present  Sitka,  and  bartered  with  the 
chief  of  the  natives  for  a  site  for  a  settlement.  Captain 
Cleveland,  whose  ship  Caroline,  of  Boston,  was  then  lying 
in  the  harbor,  describes  the  Indians  of  the  vicinity  as  fol- 
lows :  "  A  more  hideous  set  of  beings  in  the  form  of  men 
and  women,  I  had  never  before  seen.  The  fantastic  man- 
ner in  which  many  of  the  faces  were  painted  was  probably 
intended  to  give  them  a  more  ferocious  appearance  ;  and 
some  groups  looked  really  as  if  they  had  escaped  from  the 
dominions  of  Satan  himself.  One  had  a  perpendicular  line 
dividing  the  two  sides  of  the  face,  one  side  of  which 
was  painted  red,  the  other  black,  with  the  hair  daubed 
with  grease  and  red  ochre,  and  filled  with  the  down  of 
birds.  Another  had  the  face  divided  with  a  horizontal 
line  in  the  middle,  and  painted  black  and  white.  The 
visage  of  a  third  was  painted  in  checkers,  etc.  Most  of 
them  had  little  mirrors,  before  the  acquisition  of  which 
they  must  have  been  dependent  on  each  other  for  those 
correct  touches  of  the  pencil  which  are  so  much  in  vogue, 
and  which  daily  require  more  time  than  the  toilet  of  a 
Parisian  belle." 

These  savages  were  known  to  be  treacherous  and  dan- 


168  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

gerous,  but  they  pretended  to  be  friendly,  and  fears  were 
gradually  allayed  by  continued  peace.  The  story  of  the 
great  massacre  and  destruction  of  the  fort  is  of  poignant 
interest,  as  simply  and  pathetically  told  by  one  of  the 
survivors,  a  hunter  :  "  In  this  present  year  1802,  about 
the  twenty-fourth  of  June  —  I  do  not  remember  the  exact 
date,  but  it  was  a  holiday  —  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, I  went  to  the  river  to  look  for  our  calves,  as  I  had 
been  detailed  by  the  commander  of  the  fort,  Vassili  Med- 
vednikof,  to  take  care  of  the  cattle.  On  returning  soon 
after,  I  noticed  at  the  fort  a  great  multitude  of  Kolosh 
people,  who  had  not  only  surrounded  the  barracks  below, 
but  were  already  climbing  over  the  balcony  and  to  the 
roof  with  guns  and  cannon  ;  and  standing  upon  a  little 
knoll  in  front  of  the  out-houses,  was  the  Sitka  toyon^  or 
chief,  Mikhail,  giving  orders  to  those  who  were  around  the 
barracks,  and  shouting  to  some  people  in  canoes  not  far 
away,  to  make  haste  and  assist  in  the  fight.  In  answer 
to  his  shouts  sixty-two  canoes  emerged  from  behind  the 
points  of  rocks."  (One  is  inclined  to  be  sceptical  con- 
cerning the  exact  number  of  canoes  ;  the  frightened  hunter 
would  scarcely  pause  to  count  the  war  canoes  as  they 
rounded  the  point.)  "  Even  if  I  had  reached  the  barracks, 
they  were  already  closed  and  barricaded,  and  there  was  no 
safety  outside  ;  therefore,  I  rushed  away  to  the  cattle  yard, 
where  I  had  a  gun.  I  only  waited  to  tell  a  girl  who  was 
employed  in  the  yard  to  take  her  little  child  and  fly  to  the 
woods,  when,  seizing  my  gun,  I  closed  up  the  shed.  Very 
soon  after  this  four  Kolosh  came  to  the  door  and  knocked 
three  times.  As  soon  as  I  ran  out  of  the  shed,  they  seized 
me  by  the  coat  and  took  my  gun  from  me.  I  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  both  in  their  hands,  and  jumping  through 
a  window,  ran  past  the  fort  and  hid  in  the  thick  underbrush 
of  the  forest,  though  two  Kolosh  ran  after  me,  but  could 
not  find  me  in  the  woods.     Soon  after,  I  emerged  from 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  169 

the  underbrush,  and  approached  the  barracks  to  see  if  the 
attack  had  been  repulsed,  but  I  saw  that  not  only  the 
barracks,  but  the  ship  recently  built,  the  warehouse  and 
the  sheds,  the  cattle  sheds,  bath  house  and  other  small 
buildings,  had  been  set  on  fire  and  were  already  in  full 
blaze.  The  sea-otter  skins  and  other  property  of  the 
company,  as  well  as  the  private  property  of  Medvednikof 
and  the  hunters,  the  savages  were  throwing  from  the  bal- 
cony to  the  ground  on  the  water  side,  while  others  seized 
them  and  carried  them  to  the  canoes,  which  were  close  to 
the  fort.  .  .  .  All  at  once  I  saw  two  Kolosli  running  toward 
me  armed  with  guns  and  lances,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
hide  again  in  the  woods.  I  threw  myself  down  among 
the  underbrush  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  covering  myself 
with  pieces  of  bark.  From  there  I  saw  Nakvassin  drop 
from  the  upper  balcony  and  run  toward  the  woods  ;  but 
when  nearly  across  the  open  space  he  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  four  warriors  rushed  up  and  carried  him  back  to  the 
barracks  on  the  points  of  their  lances  and  cut  off  his  head. 
Kabanof  was  dragged  from  the  barracks  into  the  street, 
where  the  Kolosh  pierced  him  with  their  lances  ;  but  how 
the  other  Russians  who  were  there  came  to  their  end,  I  do 
not  know.  The  slaughter  and  incendiarism  were  continued 
by  the  savages  until  the  evening,  but  finally  I  stole  out 
among  the  ruins  and  ashes,  and  in  my  wanderings  came 
across  some  of  our  cows,  and  saw  that  even  the  poor  dumb 
animals  had  not  escaped  the  bloodthirsty  fiends,  having 
spears  stuck  in  their  sides.  Exercising  all  my  strength, 
I  was  barely  able  to  pull  out  some  of  the  spears,  when  I 
was  observed  by  two  Kolosh,  and  compelled  to  leave  the 
cows  to  their  fate  and  hide  again  in  the  woods. 

"  I  passed  the  night  not  far  from  the  ruins  of  the  fort. 
In  the  morning  I  heard  the  report  of  a  cannon  and 
looked  out  of  the  brush,  but  could  see  nobody,  and  not 
wishing   to  expose  myself  again  to  further  danger,  went 


170  ALASKA:     THE    GliEAT    COUNTRY 

higher  up  in  the  mountaiu  through  the  forest.  While 
advancing  cautiously  through  the  woods,  I  met  two  other 
persons  who  were  in  the  same  condition  as  myself,  —  a 
girl  from  the  Chiniatz  village,  Kodiak,  with  an  infant  on 
her  breast,  and  a  man  from  the  Kiliuda  village,  who  liad 
been  left  behind  by  the  hunting  party  on  account  of 
sickness.  I  took  them  both  with  me  to  the  mountain, 
but  each  night  I  went  with  my  companions  to  the  ruins 
of  tlie  fort  and  bewailed  the  fate  of  the  slain.  In  this 
miserable  condition  we  remained  for  eight  days,  with 
nothing  to  eat  and  nothing  but  water  to  drink.  About 
noon  of  the  last  day  we  heard  from  the  mountain  two 
cannon-shots,  which  raised  some  hopes  in  me,  and  I  told 
my  companions  to  follow  me  at  a  little  distance,  and  then 
went  down  toward  the  river  through  the  woods  to  hide 
myself  near  the  shore  and  see  whether  there  was  a  ship 
in  the  bay." 

He  discovered,  to  his  unspeakable  joy,  an  English  ship 
in  the  bay.  Shouting  to  attract  the  attention  of  those 
on  board,  he  was  heard  by  six  Kolosh,  who  made  their 
way  toward  him  and  had  almost  captured  him  ere  he 
saw  them  and  made  his  escape  in  the  woods.  They 
forced  him  to  the  shore  at  a  point  near  the  cape,  where 
he  was  able  to  make  himself  heard  by  those  on  the  vessel. 
A  boat  put  off  at  once,  and  he  was  barely  able  to  leap 
into  it  when  the  Kolosh,  in  hot  pursuit,  came  in  sight 
again.     When  they  saw  the  boat,  they  turned  and  fled. 

When  the  hunter  had  given  an  account  of  the  massacre 
to  the  commander  of  the  vessel,  an  armed  boat  was  sent 
ashore  to  rescue  the  man  and  girl  who  were  in  hiding. 
They  were  easily  located  and,  with  another  Russian  who 
was  found  in  the  vicinity,  were  taken  aboard  and  sup- 
plied with  food  and  clothing. 

The  commander  himself  then  accompanied  them,  with 
armed  men,  to  the  site  of  the  destroyed  fort,  Avhere  they 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  171 

examined  and  buried  the  dead.  They  found  that  all 
but  Kabanof  had  been  beheaded. 

Three  days  later  the  chief,  Mikhail,  went  out  to  the 
ship,  was  persuaded  to  go  aboard,  and  with  his  nephew 
was  held  until  all  persons  captured  during  the  massacre 
and  still  living  had  been  surrendered.  The  prisoners 
were  given  up  reluctantly,  one  by  one;  and  when  it  was 
believed  that  all  had  been  recovered,  the  chief  and  his 
nephew  were  permitted  to  leave  the  ship. 

The  survivors  were  taken  to  Kodiak,  where  the  humane 
captain  of  the  ship  demanded  of  Baranoff  a  compensation 
of  fifty  thousand  roubles  in  cash.  Baranoff,  learning  that 
the  captain's  sole  expense  had  been  in  feeding  and  clothing 
the  prisoners,  refused  to  pay  this  exorbitant  sum ;  and  after 
long  wrangling  it  was  settled  for  furs  worth  ten  thousand 
roubles. 

Accounts  of  the  massacre  by  survivors  and  writers  of 
that  time  vary  somewhat,  some  claiming  that  the  massacre 
was  occasioned  by  the  broken  faith  and  extreme  cruelty 
of  the  Russians  in  their  treatment  of  the  savages;  others, 
that  the  Sitkans  had  been  well  treated  and  that  Chief 
Mikhail  had  falsely  pretended  to  be  the  warm  and  faith- 
ful friend  of  Baranoff,  who  had  placed  the  fullest  con- 
fidence in  him. 

Baranoff  was  well-nigh  broken-hearted  by  his  new  and 
terrible  misfortune.  The  massacre  had  been  so  timed 
that  the  most  of  the  men  of  the  fort  were  away  on 
a  hunting  expedition;  and  Baranoff  himself  was  on 
Afognak  Island,  which  is  only  a  few  hours'  sail  from 
Kodiak.  Several  Kolosh  women  lived  at  the  fort  with 
Russian  men;  and  these  women  kept  their  tribesmen 
outside  informed  as  to  the  daily  conditions  within  the 
garrison.  On  the  weakest  day  of  the  fort,  a  holiday,  the 
Kolosh  had,  therefore,  suddenly  surrounded  it,  armed 
with  guns,  spears,  and  daggers,  their  faces  covered  with 
masks  representing  animals. 


172  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

About  this  time  Krusensteni  and  Lisiansky  sailed 
from  Kronstudt,  in  the  hope — which  was  fulfilled  —  of 
being  the  first  to  carry  the  Russian  flag  around  the 
world.  Lisiansky  arrived  at  Kodiak,  after  many  hard- 
ships, only  to  receive  a  written  request  from  Baranoff  to 
proceed  at  once  to  Sitka  and  assist  him  in  subduing  the 
savages  and  avenging  the  ofhcers  and  men  lost  in  the  fear- 
ful massacre.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1804,  he  there- 
fore sailed  to  eastward,  and  on  the  twentieth  of  the 
same  month  entered  Sitka  Sound.  The  day  must  have 
been  gloomy  and  Lisiansky's  mood  in  keeping  with  the 
day,  for  he  thus  describes  a  bay  which  is,  under  favorable 
conditions,  one  of  the  most  idyllically  beautiful  imagin- 
able: "  On  our  entrance  into  Sitka  Sound  to  the  place 
where  we  now  were,  there  was  not  to  be  seen  on  the  shore 
the  least  vestige  of  habitation.  Nothing  presented  itself 
to  our  view  but  impenetrable  woods  reaching  from  the 
water-side  to  the  very  tops  of  the  mountains.  I  never 
saw  a  country  so  wild  and  gloomy;  it  apj)eared  more 
adapted  for  the  residence  of  wild  beasts  than  of  men." 

Shortly  afterward  Baranoff  arrived  in  the  harbor  with 
several  hundred  Aleutians  and  many  Russians,  after  a 
tempestuous  and  dangerous  voyage  from  Yakutat,  the 
site  of  the  convict  settlement.  He  learned  that  the 
savages  had  taken  up  their  position  on  a  bluff  a  few 
miles  distant,  where  they  had  fortified  themselves.  This 
bluff  was  the  noble  height  upon  which  Baranoff's  castle 
was  afterward  erected,  and  which  commands  the  entire 
bay  upon  which  the  Sitka  of  to-day  is  located.  Lisiansky, 
in  his  "  Voyage  around  the  World,"  describes  the  Indians' 
fort  as  "  an  irregular  polygon,  its  longest  side  facing  the 
sea.  It  was  protected  by  a  breastwork  two  logs  in  thick- 
ness, and  about  six  feet  high.  Around  and  above  it 
tangled  brushwood  was  piled.  Grape-shot  did  little 
damage,  even  at  the  distance  of  a  cable's  length.     There 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  173 

were  two  embrasures  for  cannon  in  the  side  facing  the 
sea,  and  two  gates  facing  the  forest.  Within  were  four- 
teen large  huts,  or,  as  they  were  called  then,  and  are 
called  at  the  present  time  by  the  natives,  barabaras. 
Judging  from  the  quantity  of  provisions  and  domestic 
implements  found  there,  it  must  have  contained  at  least 
eight  hundred  warriors." 

An  envoy  from  the  Kolosh  fort  came  out  with  friendly 
overtures,  but  was  informed  that  peace  conditions  could 
only  be  established  through  the  chiefs.  He  departed, 
but  soon  returned  and  delivered  a  hostage. 

Baranoff  made  plain  his  conditions  ;  agreement  with  the 
chiefs  in  person,  the  delivery  of  two  more  hostages,  and 
permanent  possession  of  the  fortified  bluff. 

The  chiefs  did  not  appear,  and  the  conditions  were  not 
accepted.  Then,  on  October  1,  after  repeated  warnings, 
Baranoff  gave  the  order  to  fire  upon  the  fort.  Im- 
mediately afterward,  Baranoff,  Lieutenant  Arlusof,  and  a 
party  of  Russians  and  Aleutians  landed  with  the  intention 
of  storming  the  fort.  They  were  repulsed,  the  panic- 
stricken  Aleutians  stampeded,  and  Baranoff  was  left  al- 
most without  support.  In  this  condition,  he  could  do 
nothing  but  retreat  to  the  boats, — -  which  they  were  barely 
able  to  reach  before  the  Kolosh  were  upon  them.  They 
saved  their  field-pieces,  but  lost  ten  men.  Twenty-six 
were  wounded,  including  Baranoff  himself.  Had  not  their 
retreat  at  this  point  been  covered  by  the  guns  of  the  ship, 
the  loss  of  life  would  have  been  fearful. 

The  following  day  Lisiansky  was  placed  in  command. 
He  opened  a  rapid  fire  upon  the  fort,  with  such  effect 
that  soon  after  noon  a  peace  envoy  arrived,  with  promise 
of  hostages.  His  overtures  were  favorably  received,  and 
during  the  following  three  days  several  hostages  were  re- 
turned to  the  Russians.  The  evacuation  of  the  fort  was 
demanded ;  but,  although  the  chief  consented,  no  move- 


174  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ments  in  that  direction  could  be  discovered  from  the  ships. 
Lisiansky  moved  his  vessel  farther  in  toward  the  fort  and 
sent  an  interpreter  to  ascertain  how  soon  the  occupants 
would  be  ready  to  abandon  their  fortified  and  command- 
ing position.  The  reply  not  being  satisfactory,  Lisiansky 
again  fired  repeatedly  upon  the  stronghold  of  the  Kolosh. 
Ou  the  3d  of  October  a  white  flag  was  hoisted,  and  the 
firing  was  discontinued.  Then  arose  from  the  rocky  height 
and  drifted  across  the  water  until  far  into  the  night  the 
sound  of  a  mournful,  wailing  chant. 

When  dawn  came  the  sound  had  ceased.  Absolute 
silence  reigned ;  jior  was  there  any  living  object  to  be 
seen  on  the  shore,  save  clouds  of  carrion  birds,  whose  dark 
wings  beat  the  still  air  above  the  fort.  The  Kolosh  had 
fled ;  the  fort  was  deserted  by  all  save  the  dead.  The 
bodies  of  thirty  Kolosh  warriors  were  found ;  also  those 
of  many  children  and  dogs,  which  had  been  killed  lest 
any  cry  from  them  should  betray  the  direction  of  their 
flight. 

The  fort  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  construction  of 
magazines,  barracks,  and  a  residence  for  Baranoff  was  at 
once  begun.  A  stockade  surrounded  these  buildings, 
each  corner  fortified  with  a  block-house.  The  garrison 
received  the  name  of  Novo  Arkangelsk,  or  New  Archangel. 
The  tribal  name  of  the  Indians  in  that  locality  was  Sitkah 
—  pronounced  Seetkah  —  and  this  short  and  striking  name 
soon  attached  itself  permanently  to  the  place. 

Immense  houses  were  built  solidly  and  with  every  con- 
sideration for  comfort  and  safety,  and  many  families  lived 
in  each.  They  ranged  in  size  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  about  eighty  in 
width,  and  were  from  one  to  three  stories  high  with  im- 
mense attics.  They  were  well  finished  and  richly  pa- 
ltered. The  polished  floors  were  covered  with  costly  rugs 
and  carpets,  and  the  houses  were  furnished  with  heavy 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  175 

and  splendid  furniture,  which  had  been  brought  from  St. 
Petersburg.  The  steaming  brass  samovar  was  everywhere 
a  distinctive  feature  of  the  hospitality  and  good  cheer  which 
made  Sitka  famous. 

To  the  gay  and  luxurious  life,  the  almost  prodigal  en- 
tertainment of  guests  by  Sitkans  from  this  time  on  to  1867, 
ever}^  traveller,  from  writers  and  naval  officers  down  to 
traders,  has  enthusiastically  testified.  At  the  first  signal 
from  a  ship  feeling  its  way  into  the  dark  harbor,  a  bright 
light  flashed  a  welcome  across  the  water  from  the  high 
cupola  on  Baranoff's  castle,  and  fires  flamed  up  on  Signal 
Island  to  beacon  the  way. 

The  officers  were  received  as  friends,  and  entertained 
in  a  style  of  almost  princely  magnificence  during  their  en- 
tire stay  —  the  only  thing  asked  in  return  being  the  capac- 
ity to  eat  like  gluttons,  revel  like  roisterers,  and  drink 
until  they  rolled  helplessly  under  the  table  ;  and,  in  Bara- 
noff's estimation,  these  were  small  returns,  indeed,  to  ask 
of  a  guest  for  his  ungrudging  and  regal  hospitality. 

Visions  of  those  high  revels  and  glittering  banquets  of 
a  hundred  years  ago  come  glimmering  down  to  us  of  to- 
day. Beautiful,  gracious,  and  fascinating  were  the  Rus- 
sian ladies  who  lived  there,  —  if  we  are  to  believe  the  stories 
of  voyagers  to  the  Sitka  of  Baranoff's  and  Wrangell's 
times.  Baranoff's  furniture  was  of  specially  fine  work- 
manship and  exceeding  value  ;  his  library  was  remarkable, 
containing  works  in  nearly  all  European  languages,  and  a 
collection  of  rare  paintings  —  the  latter  having  been  pre- 
sented to  the  company  at  the  time  of  its  organiza- 
tion. 

Baranoff  had  left  a  wife  and  family  in  Russia.  He 
never  saw  them  again,  although  he  sent  allowances  to 
them  regularly.  He  was  not  bereft  of  woman's  com- 
panionship, however,  and  we  have  tales  of  revelry  by 
night  when  Baranoff  alternately  sang  and  toasted  every- 


176        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

body,  from  the  Emperor  down  to  the  woman  upon  his 
knee  with  whom  he  shured  every  sparkling  glass.  He  had 
a  beautiful  daughter  by  a  native  woman,  and  of  her  he 
was  exceedingly  careful.  A  governess  whom  he  surprised 
in  the  act  of  drinking  a  glass  of  liquor  was  struck  in  sud- 
den blind  passion  and  turned  out  of  the  house.  The  fol- 
lowing day  he  sent  for  her,  apologized,  and  reinstalled 
her  with  an  increased  salary,  warning  her,  however,  that 
his  daughter  must  never  see  her  drink  a  drop  of  liquor. 
When  in  his  most  gloomy  and  hopeless  moods,  this  daugh- 
ter could  instantly  soothe  and  cheer  him  by  playing  upon 
the  piano  and  singing  to  him  songs  very  different  from 
those  sung  at  his  drunken  all-night  orgies. 

That  there  was  a  very  human  and  tender  side  to  Bara- 
noff's  nature  cannot  be  doubted  by  those  making  a  careful 
study  of  his  tempestuous  life.  He  was  deeply  hurt  and 
humiliated  by  the  insolent  and  supercilious  treatment  of 
naval  officers  who  considered  him  of  inferior  position,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  he  was  in  supreme  command 
of  all  the  Russian  territory  in  America.  From  time  to 
time  the  Emperor  conferred  honors  upon  him,  and  he  was 
always  deeply  appreciative  ;  and  it  is  chronicled  that  when 
a  messenger  arrived  with  the  intelligence  that  he  had  been 
appointed  by  the  Emperor  to  the  rank  of  Collegiate  Coun- 
cillor, Baranoff,  broken  by  the  troubles,  hardships,  and 
humiliations  of  his  stormy  life,  was  suddenly  and  com- 
pletely overcome  by  joy.  He  burst  into  tears  and  gave 
thanks  to  God. 

"  I  am  a  nobleman  ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  am  the  equal  in 
position  and  the  superior  in  ability  of  these  insolent  naval 
officers." 

In  1812  Mr.  Wilson  P.  Hunt,  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Com- 
pany, sailed  from  Astoria  for  Sitka  on  the  Beaver  with 
supplies  for  the  Russians.  By  that  time  Bai^anoff  had 
risen  to  the  title  and  pomp  of  governor,  and  was  living 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  177 

in  splendid  style  befitting  his  position  and  his  triumph 
over  the  petty  officers,  whose  names  are  now  insignifi- 
cant in  Russian  history. 

Mr.  Hunt  found  this  hyperborean  veteran  ensconced  in 
a  fort  which  crested  the  whole  of  a  high,  rocky  promon- 
tory. It  mounted  one  hundred  guns,  large  and  small,  and 
was  impregnable  to  Indian  attack  unaided  by  artillery. 
Here  the  old  governor  lorded  it  over  sixty  Russians,  who 
formed  the  corps  of  the  trading  establishment,  besides  an 
indefinite  number  of  Indian  hunters  of  the  Kodiak  tribe, 
who  were  continually  coming  and  going,  or  lounging  and 
loitering  about  the  fort  like  so  many  hounds  round  a  sports- 
man's hunting  quarters.  Though  a  loose  liver  among  liis 
guests,  the  governor  was  a  strict  disciplinarian  among  his 
men,  keeping  them  in  perfect  subjection  and  having 
seven  guards  on  duty  night  and  day. 

Besides  those  immediate  serfs  and  dependents  just  men- 
tioned, the  old  Russian  potentate  exerted  a  considerable 
sway  over  a  numerous  and  irregular  class  of  maritime 
traders,  who  looked  to  him  for  aid  and  munitions,  and 
through  whom  he  may  be  said  to  have,  in  some  degree, 
extended  his  power  along  the  whole  Northwest  Coast. 
These  were  American  captains  of  vessels  engaged  in  a 
particular  department  of  trade.  One  of  the  captains 
would  come,  in  a  manner,  empty-handed,  to  New  Arch- 
angel. Here  his  ship  would  be  furnished  with  about  fifty 
canoes  and  a  hundred  Kodiak  hunters,  and  fitted  out  with 
provisions  and  everything  necessary  for  hunting  the  sea- 
otter  on  the  coast  of  California,  where  the  Russians  had 
another  establishment.  The  ship  would  ply  along  the 
California  coast,  from  place  to  place,  dropping  parties 
of  otter  hunters  in  their  canoes,  furnishing  them  only 
with  water,  and  leaving  them  to  depend  upon  their  own 
dexterity  for  a  maintenance.  When  a  sufficient  cargo 
was  collected,  she  would  gather  up  her  canoes  and  hunters 


178  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and  return  with  them  to  Archangel,  where  the  captain 
would  render  in  the  returns  of  his  voyage  and  receive 
one-half  of  the  skins  as  his  share. 

Over  these  coasting  captains  the  old  governor  exerted 
some  sort  of  sway,  but  it  was  of  a  peculiar  and  character- 
istic kind  ;  it  was  the  tyranny  of  the  table.  They  were 
obliged  to  join  in  his  "  prosnics "  or  carousals  and  his 
heaviest  drinking-bouts.  His  carousals  were  of  the  wild- 
est and  coarsest,  his  tempers  violent,  his  language  strong. 
"  He  is  continually,"  said  Mr.  Hunt,  "  giving  entertainment 
by  way  of  parade  ;  and  if  you  do  not  drink  raw  rum, 
and  boiling  punch  as  strong  as  sulphur,  he  will  insult  you 
as  soon  as  he  gets  drunk,  which  is  very  shortly  after  sit- 
ting down  at  table." 

A  "  temperance  captain  "  who  stood  fast  to  his  faith  and 
kept  his  sobriety  inviolate  might  go  elsewhere  for  a  market; 
he  was  not  a  man  after  the  governor's  heart.  Rarel}^,  how- 
ever, did  any  captain  made  of  such  unusual  stuff  darken 
the  doors  of  Baranoff's  high-set  castle.  The  coasting 
captains  knew  too  well  his  humor  and  their  own  interests. 
They  joined  with  either  real  or  well-affected  pleasure  in 
his  roistering  banquets ;  they  ate  much  and  drank  more  ; 
they  sang  themselves  hoarse  and  drank  themselves  under 
the  table ;  and  it  is  chronicled  that  never  was  Baranoff 
satisfied  until  the  last-named  condition  had  come  to  pass. 
The  more  the  guests  that  lay  sprawling  under  the  table, 
upon  and  over  one  another,  the  more  easily  were  trading 
arrangements  effected  with  Baranoff  later  on. 

Mr.  Hunt  relates  the  memorable  warning  to  all  "  flinch- 
ers"  which  occurred  shortly  after  his  arrival.  A  young 
Russian  naval  officer  had  recently  been  sent  out  by  the 
Emperor  to  take  command  of  one  of  the  company's  vessels. 
The  governor  invited  him  to  one  of  his  "  prosnics  "  and 
plied  him  with  fiery  potations.  The  young  officer  stoutly 
maintained  his  right  to  resist  —  which  called  out  all  the 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  179 

fury  of  the  old  ruffian's  temper,  and  he  proceeded  to  make 
the  youth  drink,  whether  he  would  or  not.  As  the  guest 
began  to  feel  the  effect  of  the  burning  liquors,  his  own 
temper  rose  to  the  occasion.  He  quarrelled  violently  with 
his  almost  royal  host,  and  expressed  his  young  opinion  of 
him  in  the  plainest  language  —  if  Russian  language  ever 
can  be  plain.  For  this  abuse  of  what  Baranoff  considered 
his  magnificent  hospitality,  he  was  given  seventy- nine 
lashes  when  he  was  quite  sober  enough  to  appreciate 
them. 

With  all  his  drinking  and  prodigal  hospitality,  Baranoff 
always  managed  to  get  his  own  head  clear  enough  for  busi- 
ness before  sobriety  returned  to  any  of  his  guests,  who  were 
not  so  accustomed  to  these  wild  and  constant  revels  of 
their  host's ;  so  that  he  was  never  caught  napping  when 
it  came  to  bargaining  or  trading.  His  own  interests  were 
ever  uppermost  in  his  mind,  which  at  such  times  gave  not 
the  faintest  indication  of  any  befuddlement  by  drink  or 
by  licentiousness  of  other  kinds. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  Baranoff  maintained  a 
princely  and  despotic  sway  over  the  Russian  colonies. 
His  own  commands  were  the  only  ones  to  receive  con- 
sideration, and  but  scant  attention  was  given  by  him  to 
orders  from  the  Directory  itself.  Complaints  of  his  rul- 
ings and  practices  seldom  reached  Russia.  Tyrannical, 
coarse,  shrewd,  powerful,  domineering,  and  of  absolutely 
iron  will,  all  were  forced  to  bow  to  his  desires,  even  men 
who  considered  themselves  his  superiors  in  all  save  sheer 
brute  force  of  will  and  character.  Captain  Krusenstern, 
a  contemporary,  in  his  account  of  Baranoff,  says  :  "  None 
but  vagabonds  and  adventurers  ever  entered  the  com- 
pany's services  as  Promishleniks  ;  "  —  uneducated  Russian 
traders,  whose  inferior  vessels  were  constructed  usually  of 
planks  lashed  to  timbers  and  calked  with  moss;  they  sailed 
by  dead   reckoning,  and    were    men    controlled  only   by 


180  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

animal  instincts  and  passions  ;  —  "it  was  their  invariable 
destiny  to  pass  a  life  of  wretchedness  in  America." 
"  Few,"  adds  Krusenstern,  "  ever  had  the  good  fortune  to 
toucli  Russian  soil  again." 

In  the  light  of  present  American  opinion  of  the  advan- 
tages and  joys  of  life  in  Russia,  this  naive  remark  has  an 
almost  grotesque  humor.  Like  many  of  the  brilliantly 
successful,  but  unscrupulous,  men  of  the  world,  Baranoff 
seemed  to  have  been  born  under  a  lucky  star  which  ever 
led  him  on.  Through  all  his  desperate  battles  with 
Indians,  his  perilous  voyages  by  sea,  and  the  plottings  of 
subordinates  who  hated  him  with  a  helpless  hate,  he  came 
unharmed. 

During  his  later  years  at  Sitka,  Baranoff,  weighed 
down  by  age,  disease,  and  the  indescribable  troubles  of  his 
long  and  faithful  service,  asked  frequently  to  be  relieved. 
These  requests  were  ignored,  greatly  to  his  disappoint- 
ment. 

When,  finally,  in  1817,  Hagemeister  was  sent  out  with 
instructions  to  assume  command  in  Baranoff's  place,  if  he 
deemed  it  necessary,  the  orders  were  placed  before  the  old 
governor  so  suddenly  and  so  unexpectedly  that  he  was  com- 
pletely prosti'ated.  He  was  now  failing  in  mind,  as  well  as 
body;  and  in  this  connection  Bancroft  adds  another  touch 
of  ironical  humor,  whether  intentional  or  accidental  it  is 
impossible  to  determine.  "  One  of  his  symptoms  of  ap- 
proaching imbecility,"  writes  Bancroft,  "  being  in  his 
sudden  attachment  to  the  church.  He  kept  constantly 
about  him  the  priest  who  had  established  the  first  church 
at  Sitka,  and,  urged  by  his  spiritual  adviser,  made  large 
donations  for  religious  purposes." 

The  effect  of  the  unexpected  announcement  is  supposed 
to  have  shortened  Baranoff's  days.  Lieutenant  Yanovsky, 
of  the  vessel  which  had  brought  Hagemeister,  was  placed 
in  charge  by  the  latter  as  his  representative.      Yanovsky 


Copyrig)it  by  F.  II.  X„will,  Scattli- 

"Ui'.LEUK,"  AN  Eskimo  Girl  in  Parka 


ALASKA :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  181 

fell  in  love  with  Baranoff's  daughter  and  married  her. 
It  was,  therefore,  to  his  own  son-in-law  that  the  old 
governor  at  last  gave  up  the  sceptre. 

By  strength  of  his  unbreakable  will  alone,  he  arose 
from  a  bed  of  illness  and  painfully  and  sorrowfully  ar- 
ranged all  tlie  affairs  of  his  office,  to  the  smallest  and 
most  insignificant  detail,  preparatory  to  the  transfer  to  his 
successor. 

It  was  in  January,  1818,  that  Hagemeister  had  made 
known  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  governor;  it  was 
not  until  September  that  Baranoff  had  accomplished  his 
difficult  task  and  turned  over  the  office. 

There  was  then,  and  there  is  to-day,  halfway  between 
the  site  of  the  castle  and  Indian  River,  a  gray  stone  about 
three  feet  high  and  having  a  fiat,  table-like  surface.  It 
stands  on  the  shore  beside  the  hard,  white  road.  The 
lovely  bay,  set  with  a  thousand  isles,  stretches  sparkling 
before  it;  the  blue  waves  break  musically  along  the  curv- 
ing shingle;  the  wooded  hills  rise  behind  it;  the  winds 
murmur  among  the  tall  trees. 

The  name  of  this  stone  is  the  "  blarney  "  stone.  It  was 
a  favorite  retreat  of  Baranoff's  and  there,  when  he  was 
sunken  in  one  of  his  lonely  or  despondent  moods,  he  would 
sit  for  hours,  staring  out  over  the  water.  What  his 
thoughts  were  at  such  times,  only  God  and  he  knew, —  for 
not  even  his  beloved  daughter  dared  to  approach  him 
when  one  of  his  lone  moods  was  upon  him. 

In  the  first  hour  that  he  was  no  longer  governor  of  the 
country  he  had  ruled  so  long  and  so  royally,  he  walked 
with  bowed  head  along  the  beach  until  he  reached  his 
favorite  retreat.  There  he  sat  himself  down  and  for 
hours  remained  in  silent  communion  with  his  own  soul. 
He  had  longed  for  relief  from  his  arduous  duties,  but  it 
had  come  in  a  way  that  had  broken  his  heart.  His 
government  had  at  last  listened  to  complaints  against  him, 


182  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and,  ungrateful  for  his  long  and  faithful  service,  had  finally 
relieved  hira  with  but  scant  consideration;  with  an  abrupt- 
ness and  a  lack  of  courtesy  that  had  sorely  wounded  him. 

Nearly  thirty  of  his  best  years  he  had  devoted  to  the 
company.  He  had  conquered  the  savages  and  placed  the 
fur  trade  upon  a  highly  profitable  basis;  he  had  built 
many  vessels  and  had  established  trading  relations  with 
foreign  countries;  forts,  settlements,  and  towns  had  risen 
at  his  indomitable  will.  Sitka,  especially,  was  his  own; 
her  storied  splendoi',  whose  fame  has  endured  through  all 
the  years,  she  owed  entirely  to  him;  she  was  the  city  of 
his  heart.  He  was  her  creator;  his  life-blood,  his  very 
heart  beats,  were  in  her;  and  now  that  the  time  had  really 
come  to  give  her  up  forever,  he  found  the  hour  of  farewell 
the  hardest  of  his  hard  life.  No  man,  of  whatsoever 
material  he  may  be  made,  nor  howsoever  insensible  to  the 
influence  of  beauty  he  may  deem  himself  to  be,  could 
dwell  for  twenty  years  in  Sitka  without  finding,  when  it 
came  to  leaving  her,  that  the  tendrils  of  her  loveliness  had 
twined  themselves  so  closely  about  his  heart  that  their 
breaking  could  only  be  accomplished  by  the  breaking  of 
the  heart  itself. 

Of  his  kin,  only  a  brother  remained.  The  offspring  of 
his  connection  with  a  Koloshian  woman  was  now  married 
and  settled  comfortably.  A  son  by  the  same  mistress  had 
died.  He  had  first  thought  of  going  to  his  brother,  who 
lived  in  Kamchatka;  but  Golovnin  was  urging  him  to  re- 
turn to  Russia,  which  he  had  left  forty  years  before. 
This  he  had  finally  decided  to  do,  it  having  been  made 
clear  to  him  that  he  could  still  be  of  service  to  his  country 
and  his  beloved  colonies  by  his  experience  and  advice. 
Remain  in  the  to^n  he  had  created  and  ruled  so  tyranni- 
cally, and  which  he  still  loved  so  devotedly,  he  could  not. 
The  mere  thought  of  that  was  unendurable. 

All  was  now  in  readiness  for  his  departure,  but  the  old 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  183 

man — he  was  now  seventy-two  —  had  not  anticipated 
that  the  going  would  be  so  hard.  The  blue  waves  came 
sparkling  in  from  the  outer  sea  and  broke  on  the  curving 
shingle  at  his  feet ;  the  white  and  lavender  wings  of  sea- 
birds  floated,  widespread,  upon  the  golden  September  air; 
vessels  of  the  fleet  he  had  built  under  the  most  distressino: 
difficulties  and  disadvantages  lay  at  anchor  under  the 
castle  wherein  he  had  banqueted  every  visitor  of  any 
distinction  or  position  for  so  many  years,  and  the  light 
from  whose  proud  tower  had  guided  so  many  worn 
voyagers  to  safety  at  last  ;  the  yellow,  red-roofed  build- 
ings, the  great  ones  built  of  logs,  the  chapel,  the  sig- 
nificant block-houses  —  all  arose  out  of  the  wilderness 
before  his  sorrowful  eyes,  taking  on  lines  of  beauty  he 
had  never  discovered  before. 

From  this  hour  Baranoff  failed  rapidly  from  day  to 
day.  His  time  was  spent  in  bidding  farewell  to  the 
Russians  and  natives  —  to  many  of  whom  he  was  sin- 
cerely attached  —  and  to  places  which  had  become  en- 
deared to  him  by  long  association.  He  was  frequently 
found  in  tears.  Those  who  have  seen  fair  Sitka  rising 
out  of  the  blue  and  islanded  sea  before  their  raptured 
eyes  may  be  able  to  appreciate  and  sympathize  with 
the  old  governor's  emotion  as,  on  the  27th  of  No- 
vember, 1818,  he  stood  in  the  stern  of  the  Kutusof  and 
watched  the  beloved  city  of  his  creation  fade  lingeringly 
from  his  view.  He  was  weeping,  silentl}^  and  hopelessly, 
as  the  old  weep,  when,  at  last,  he  turned  away. 

Baranoff  never  again  saw  Sitka.  In  March  the  Kutusof 
landed  at  Batavia,  where  it  remained  more  than  a  month. 
There  he  was  very  ill  ;  and  soon  after  the  vessel  had 
again  put  to  sea,  he  died,  like  Behring,  a  sad  and  lonely 
death,  far  from  friends  and  home.  On  the  16th  of 
April,  1819,  the  waters  of  the  Indian  Ocean  received  the 
body  of  Alexander  Baranoff. 


184  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Notwithstanding  his  many  and  serious  faults,  or,  pos- 
sibly because  of  their  existence  in  so  powerful  a  charac- 
ter—  combined  as  they  were  with  such  brilliant  talent 
and  with  so  many  admirable  and  conscientious  qualities  — 
Baranoff  remains  through  all  the  years  the  most  fasci- 
nating figure  in  the  history  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  None 
is  so  well  worth  study  and  close  investigation  ;  none  is  so 
rich  in  surprises  and  delights ;  none  has  the  charm  of  so 
lone  and  beautiful  a  setting.  There  was  no  littleness,  no 
niggardliness,  in  his  nature.  "  He  never  knew  what  ava- 
rice was,"  wrote  Khlebnikof,  "  and  never  hoarded  riches. 
He  did  not  wait  until  his  death  to  make  provision  for  the 
living,  but  gave  freely  to  all  who  had  any  claim  U2)on 
him." 

He  spent  money  like  a  prince.  He  received  ten  shares 
of  stock  in  the  company  from  Shelikoff  and  was  later 
granted  twenty  more  ;  but  he  gave  many  of  these  to  his 
associates  who  were  not  so  well  remunerated  for  their 
faithful  services.  Pie  provided  generously  during  his  life 
for  his  family;  and  for  the  families  in  Russia  of  many 
who  lost  their  lives  in  the  colonies,  or  who  were  unable 
through  other  misfortunes  to  perform  their  duties  in 
this  respect. 

Born  of  humble  parentage  in  Kargopal,  Eastern  Russia, 
in  1747,  he  had,  at  an  early  age,  drifted  to  Moscow,  where 
he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  retail  stores  until  1771, 
when  he  established  himself  in  business. 

Not  meeting  with  success,  he  four  years  later  emigrated 
to  Siberia  and  undertook  the  management  of  a  glass  fac- 
tory at  Irkutsk.  He  also  interested  himself  in  other 
industries  ;  and  on  account  of  several  valuable  communi- 
cations to  tlie  Civil  Economical  Society  on  the  subject  of 
manufacture  he  was  in  1789  elected  a  member  of  the 
society. 

His  life  here  was  a  humdrum  existence,  of  which  his 


Cojivriffht  tiy  iJubhs,  .\,,iik- 


A    NoKTHEKX    MaDONXA 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  185 

restless  spirit  soon  wearied.  Acquainting  himself  with 
the  needs,  resources,  and  possibilities  of  Kamchatka,  he 
set  out  to  the  eastward  with  an  assortment  of  goods 
and  liquors,  which  he  sold  to  the  savages  of  that  and 
adjoining  countries. 

At  first  his  operations  were  attended  by  success  ;  but 
when,  in  1789,  two  of  his  caravans  were  captured  by 
Chuckchi,  he  found  himself  bankrupt,  and  soon  yielded 
to  Shelikoff's  urgent  entreaties  to  try  his  fortunes  in 
America. 

Such  is  the  simple  early  history  of  this  remarkable  man. 
Not  one  known  descendant  of  his  is  living  to-day.  But 
men  like  Baranoff  do  not  need  descendants  to  perpetuate 
their  names. 

Bancroft  is  the  highest  authority  on  the  events  of  this 
period,  his  assistant  being  Ivan  Petroff,  a  Russian,  who 
was  well-informed  on  the  history  of  the  colonies. 

Many  secret  reasons  have  been  suspected  for  the  sale 
of  the  magnificent  country  of  Alaska  to  the  United  States 
for  so  paltry  a  sum. 

The  only  revenue,  however,  that  Russia  derived  from 
the  colonies  was  through  the  rich  fur  trade  ;  and  ^vhen, 
after  Baranoff's  death,  this  trade  declined  and  its  future 
seemed  hopeless,  the  country's  vast  mineral  wealth  being 
unsuspected,  Russia  found  herself  in  humor  to  consider 
any  offer  that  might  be  of  immediate  profit  to  herself. 
For  seven  millions  and  two  hundred  thousands  of  dollars 
Russia  cheerfully,  because  unsuspectingly,  yielded  one  of 
the  most  marvellously  rich  and  beautiful  countries  of  the 
world  —  its  valleys  yellow  with  gold,  its  mountains  green 
with  copper  and  thickly  veined  with  coal,  its  waters  alive 
with  fish  and  fur-bearing  animals,  its  scenery  sublime  — 
to  the  scornful  and  unappreciative  United  States. 

As  early  as  the  fifties  it  became  rumored  that  Russia, 


186       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

foreseeing  the  entire  decline  of  the  fur  trade,  considered 
Alaska  a  white  elephant  vipon  its  hands,  and  that  an  offer 
for  its  purchase  would  not  meet  with  disfavor.  The 
matter  was  discussed  in  Washington  at  various  times, 
but  it  was  not  until  1866  that  it  was  seriously  considered. 
The  people  of  the  present  state  of  Washington  were 
among  those  most  desirous  of  its  purchase ;  and  there 
was  rumor  of  tlie  organization  of  a  trading  company  of 
the  Pacific  Coast  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  the  rights 
of  the  Russian-American  Company  and  acquiring  the 
lease  of  the  lisiere  which  was  to  expire  in  1868.  The 
Russian- American  Company  was  then,  however,  awaiting 
the  reply  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  concerning  a 
renewal  of  the  lease ;  and  the  matter  drifted  on  until,  in 
the  spring  of  1867,  the  Russian  minister  opened  negotia- 
tions for  the  purchase  of  the  country  with  Mr.  Seward. 
There  was  some  difficulty  at  first  over  the  price,  but  the 
matter  was  one  presenting  so  many  mutual  advantages 
that  this  was  soon  satisfactorily  arranged. 

On  Friday  evening,  March  25,  1867,  Mr.  Seward 
was  playing  whist  with  members  of  his  family  when 
the  Russian  minister  was  announced.  Baron  Stoeckl 
stated  that  he  had  received  a  despatch  from  his  govern- 
ment by  cable,  conveying  the  consent  of  the  Emperor  to 
the  cession. 

"  To-morrow,"  he  added,  "  I  will  come  to  the  depart- 
ment, and  we  can  enter  upon  the  treaty." 

With  a  smile  of  satisfaction,  Seward  replied: — 

"Why  wait  till  to-morrow?  Let  us  make  the  treaty 
to-night." 

"  But  your  department  is  closed.  You  have  no  clerks, 
and  my  secretaries  are  scattered  about  the  town." 

"  Never  mind  that,"  said  Seward ;  "  if  you  can  muster 
your  legation  together  before  midnight,  you  will  find  me 
awaiting  you  at  the  department." 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  187 

By  four  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  the  treaty  was 
engrossed,  sealed,  and  ready  for  transmission  by  the  Presi- 
dent to  the  Senate.  The  end  of  the  session  was  approach- 
ing, and  there  was  need  of  haste  in  order  to  secure  action 
upon  it. 

Leutze  painted  this  historic  scene.  Mr.  Seward  is  seen 
sitting  at  his  table,  pen  in  hand,  listening  to  the  Russian 
minister.  The  gaslight,  streaming  down  on  the  table, 
illuminates  the  outline  of  "the  great  country." 

When,  immediately  afterward,  the  treaty  was  presented 
for  consideration  in  the  Senate,  Charles  Sumner  delivered 
his  famous  and  splendid  oration  which  stands  as  one  of 
the  masterpieces  of  history,  and  which  revealed  an  en- 
lightened knowledge  and  understanding  of  Alaska  that 
were  remarkable  at  that  time  —  and  which  probably  sur- 
passed those  of  Seward.  Among  other  clear  and  beauti- 
ful things  he  said  :  — 

"  The  present  treaty  is  a  visible  step  in  the  occupation 
of  the  whole  North  American  Continent.  As  such  it  will 
be  recognized  by  the  world  and  accepted  by  the  American 
people.  But  the  treaty  involves  something  more.  By  it 
we  dismiss  one  more  monarch  from  this  continent.  One 
by  one  they  have  retired  ;  first  France,  then  Spain,  then 
France  again,  and  now  Russia  —  all  giving  way  to  that 
absorbing  unity  which  is  declared  in  the  national  motto  : 
JS  pluribus  unum.'' 

There  is  yet  one  more  monarch  to  be  retired,  in 
all  kindness  and  good-will,  from  our  continent  ;  and  that 
event  will  take  place  when  our  brother-Canadians  unite 
with  us  in  deed  as  they  already  have  in  spirit. 

For  years  the  purchase  was  unpopular,  and  was  ridi- 
culed by  the  press  and  in  conversation.  Alaska  was  de- 
clared to  be  a  "  barren,  worthless,  God-forsaken  region," 
whose  only  products  were  "  icebergs  and  polar  bears "  ; 
vegetation  was  "  confined  to  mosses  "  ;  and  "  Walrussia  " 


188  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

was  wittily  suggested  as  an  appropriate  name  for  our  new 
possession — as  well  as  "  Icebergia  "  ;  but  in  the  face  of 
all  the  opposition  and  ridicule,  those  two  great  Ameri- 
cans, Seward  and  Sumner,  stood  firmly  for  the  acquisition 
of  this  splendid  country.  They  looked  through  the  mist 
of  their  own  day  and  saw  the  day  that  is  ours. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

Since  Sitka  first  dawned  upon  my  sight  on  a  June  day, 
in  her  setting  of  vivid  green  and  glistening  white,  she 
has  been  one  of  my  dearest  memories.  Four  times  in  all 
have  the  green  islands  drifted  apart  to  let  her  rise  from 
the  blue  sea  before  my  enchanted  eyes  ;  and  with  each 
visit  she  has  grown  more  dear,  and  her  memory  more 
tormenting. 

Something  gives  Sitka  a  different  look  and  atmosphere 
from  any  other  town.  It  may  be  her  whiteness,  glisten- 
ing against  the  rich  green  background  of  forest  and  hill, 
with  the  whiteness  of  tlie  mountains  shining^  in  the  hiafher 
lights  ;  or  it  may  be  the  severely  white  and  plain  Greek 
church,  rising  in  the  centre  of  the  main  street,  not  more 
than  a  block  from  the  water,  that  gives  Sitka  her  chaste 
and  immaculate  appearance. 

No  buildings  obstruct  the  view  of  the  church  from  the 
water.  There  it  is,  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  with  its 
green  roof,  steeple,  and  bulbous  dome. 

This  church  is  generally  supposed  to  be  the  one  that 
Baranoff  built  at  the  beginning  of  the  century  ;  but  this 
is  not  true.  Baranoff  did  build  a  small  chapel,  but  it  was 
in  1848  that  the  foundation  of  the  present  church  was 
laid  —  almost  thirty  years  after  the  death  of  Baranoff. 
It  was  under  the  special  protection  of  the  Czar,  who,  with 
other  members  of  the  imperial  family,  sent  many  costly 
furnishings  and  ornaments. 

Veniaminoff — who  was  later  made  Archpriest,  and  still 

189 


190  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

later  the  Archbishop  of  Kamchatka,  and  during  the  last 
years  of  his  noble  life,  the  Metropolitan  of  Moscow  — 
sent  many  of  the  rich  vestments,  paintings,  and  furnish- 
ings. The  chime  of  silvery  bells  was  also  sent  from 
Moscow. 

Upon  landing  at  Sitka,  one  is  confronted  by  the  old 
log  storehouse  of  the  Russians.  This  is  an  immense 
building,  barricading  the  wharf  from  the  town.  A  nar- 
row, dark,  gloomy  passage-way,  or  alley,  leads  through 
the  centre  of  this  building.  It  seems  as  long  as  an  ordi- 
nary city  square  to  the  bewildered  stranger  groping 
through  its  shadows. 

In  front  of  this  building,  and  inside  both  ends  of  the 
passage  as  far  as  the  light  reaches,  squat  squaws,  young 
and  old,  pretty  and  hideous,  starry-eyed  and  no-eyed, 
saucy  and  kind,  arrogant  and  humble,  taciturn  and 
voluble,  vivacious  and  weary-faced.  Surely  no  known 
variety  of  squaw  may  be  asked  for  and  not  found  in  this 
long  line  that  reaches  from  the  wharf  to  the  green-roofed 
church. 

There  is  no  night  so  wild  and  tempestuous,  and  no 
hour  of  any  night  so  late,  or  of  any  morning  so  early,  that 
the  passenger  hastening  ashore  is  not  greeted  by  this 
long  line  of  dark-faced  women.  They  sit  like  so  many 
patient,  noiseless  statues,  with  their  tempting  wares  cl-us- 
tered  around  the  flat,  "toed-in"  feet  of  each. 

Not  only  is  this  true  of  Sitka,  but  of  every  landing- 
place  on  the  whole  coast  where  dwells  an  Indian  or  an 
Aleut  that  has  something  to  sell.  Long  before  the  boat 
lands,  their  gay  shawls  by  day,  or  their  dusky  outlines  by 
night,  are  discovered  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer. 

How  they  manage  it,  no  ship's  officer  can  tell  ;  for  the 
whistle  is  frequently  not  blown  until  the  boat  is  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  shore.      Yet  there  they  are,  waiting  ! 

Sometimes,  at  night,  they  appear  simultaneously,  flut- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  191 

tering  down  into  their  places,  swiftly  and  noiselessly,  like 
a  flock  of  birds  settling  down  to  rest  for  a  moment  in 
their  flight. 

Some  of  these  women  are  dressed  in  skirts  and  waists, 
but  the  majority  are  wrapped  in  the  everlasting  gay 
blankets.  No  lip  or  nose  ornaments  are  seen,  even  in 
the  most  aged.  Two  or  three  men  are  scattered  down 
the  line,  to  guard  the  women  from  being  cheated. 

These  tall  and  lordly  creatures  strut  noiselessly  and 
superciliously  about,  clucking  out  guttural  advice  to  the 
squaws,  as  well  as,  to  all  appearances,  the  frankest  criti- 
cism of  the  persons  examining  their  wares  with  a  view  to 
purchasing. 

The  women  are  very  droll,  and  apparently  have  a  keen 
sense  of  humor  ;  and  one  is  sure  to  have  considerable 
fun  poked  at  one,  going  down  the  line. 

Mild-tempered  people  do  not  take  umbrage  at  this  ridi- 
cule ;  in  fact,  they  rather  enjoy  it.  Being  one  of  them,  I 
lost  my  temper  only  once.  A  young  squaw  offered  me  a 
wooden  dish,  explaining  in  broken  English  that  it  was  an 
old  eating  dish. 

It  had  a  flat  handle  with  a  hole  in  it;  and  as  cooking 
and  eating  utensils  are  never  washed,  it  had  the  horrors 
of  ages  encrusted  within  it  to  the  depth  of  an  inch  or 
more. 

This,  of  course,  only  added  to  its  value.  I  paid  her  a 
dollar  for  it,  and  had  just  taken  it  up  gingerly  and  shud- 
deringly  with  the  tips  of  my  fingers,  when,  to  my  amaze- 
ment and  confusion,  the  girl  who  had  sold  it  to  me,  two 
older  women  who  were  squatting  near,  and  a  tall  man 
leaning  against  the  wall,  all  burst  simultaneously  into 
jeering  and  uncontrollable  laughter. 

As  I  gazed  at  them  suspiciously  and  with  reddening 
face,  the  young  woman  pointed  a  brown  and  unclean 
finger  at  me  ;  while,  as  for  the  chorus  of  chuckles  and 


192  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

duckings  that  assailed  my  ears  —  I   hope   I   may  never 
hear  their  like  again. 

To  add  to  my  embarrassment,  some  passengers  at  that 
moment  approached. 

"  Hello,  Sally,"  said  one  ;  "  what's  the  matter  ?  " 

Laughing  too  heartily  to  reply,  she  pointed  at  the 
wooden  dish,  which  I  was  vainly  trying  to  hide.  They 
all  looked,  saw,  and  laughed  with  the  Indians. 

For  a  week  afterward  they  smiled  every  time  they 
looked  at  me;  and  I  do  believe  that  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  on  the  steamer  came,  smiling,  to  my  cabin  to  see  my 
"  buy."  But  the  ridicule  of  my  kind  was  as  nothing  com- 
pared to  that  of  the  Indians  themselves.  To  be  "  taken 
in  "  by  the  descendant  of  a  Koloshian,  and  then  jeered  at 
to  one's  very  face! 

The  only  possession  of  an  Alaskan  Indian  that  may  not 
be  purchased  is  a  rosary.  An  attempt  to  buy  one  is  met 
with  glances  of  aversion. 

"It  has  been  blessed!''''  one  woman  said,  almost  in  a 
whisper. 

But  they  have  most  beautiful  long  strings  of  big, 
evenly  cut,  sapphire-blue  beads.  They  call  them  Russian 
beads,  and  point  out  certain  ones  which  were  once  used 
as  money  among  the  Indians. 

Their  wares  consist  chiefly  of  baskets;  but  there  are 
also  immense  spoons  carved  artistically  out  of  the  horns 
of  mountain  sheep;  richly  beaded  moccasins  of  many 
different  materials;  carved  and  gay ly  painted  canoes  and 
paddles  of  the  fragrant  Alaska  cedar  or  Sitka  pine; 
totem-poles  carved  out  of  dark  gray  slate  stone  ;  lamps, 
carved  out  of  wood  and  inlaid  with  a  fine  pearl-like  shell. 
These  are  formed  like  animals,  with  the  backs  hollowed  to 
hold  oil.  There  are  silver  spoons,  rings,  bracelets,  and 
chains,  all  delicately  traced  with  totemic  designs;  knives, 
virgin  charms,  Chilkaht  blankets,  and  now  and    then  a 


jht  by  D<:ibbs,  Nome 

Eskimo  Lau  in  Parka  and  Mukluks 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  193 

genuine  old  spear,  or  bow  and  arrow,  that  proves  the 
dearest  treasure  of  all. 

Old  wooden,  or  bone,  gambling-  sticks,  finely  carved, 
polished  to  a  satin  finish,  and  sometimes  inlaid  with  frag- 
ments of  shell,  or  burnt  with  totemic  designs,  are  also 
greatly  to  be  desired. 

The  main  features  of  interest  in  Sitka  are  the  Greek- 
Russian  church  and  the  walk  along  the  beach  to  Indian 
River  Park. 

A  small  admission  fee  is  charged  at  the  church  door. 
This  goes  to  the  poor-fund  of  the  parish.  It  is  the  only 
church  in  Alaska  that  charges  a  regular  fee,  but  in  all 
the  others  there  are  contribution  boxes.  When  one  has, 
with  burning  cheeks,  seen  his  fellow-Americans  drop 
dimes  and  nickels  into  the  boxes  of  these  churches,  which 
have  been  specially  opened  at  much  inconvenience  for 
their  accommodation,  he  is  glad  to  see  the  fifty-cent  fee 
at  the  door  charged. 

There  are  no  seats  in  the  church.  The  congregation 
stands  or  kneels  during  the  entire  service.  There  are 
three  sanctuaries  and  as  many  altars.  The  chief  sanctuary 
is  the  one  in  the  middle,  and  it  is  dedicated  to  the  Archi- 
Strategos  Michael. 

The  sanctuary  is  separated  from  the  body  of  the  church 
by  a  screen  —  which  has  a  "  shaky  "  look,  by  the  way  — 
adorned  with  twelve  ikons,  or  images,  in  costly  silver 
and  gold  casings,  artistically  chased. 

The  middle  door  leading  into  the  sanctuary  is  called 
the  Royal  Gates,  because  through  it  the  Holy  Sacrament, 
or  Eucharist,  is  carried  out  to  the  faithful.  It  is  most 
beautifully  carved  and  decorated.  Above  it  is  a  magnifi- 
cent ikon,  representing  the  Last  Supper.  The  heavy 
silver  casing  is  of  great  value.  The  casings  alone  of  the 
twelve  ikons  on  the  screen  cost  many  thousands  of  dollars. 

An  interesting  story  is  attached  to  the  one  of  the  patron 


194  ALASKA:     THE    GEEAT    COUNTRY 

saint  of  the  church,  the  Archangel  Michael.  The  ship 
Neva,  on  her  way  to  Sitka,  was  wrecked  at  the  base  of 
Mount  Edgecumbe.  A  large  and  valuable  cargo  was 
lost,  but  the  ikon  was  miraculously  cast  upon  the  beach, 
uninjured. 

Mau}^  of  the  ikons  and  other  adornments  of  the  church 
were  presented  by  the  survivors  of  wrecked  vessels  ;  others 
by  illustrious  friends  in  Russia.  One  that  had  paled  and 
grown  dim  was  restored  by  Mrs.  Emmons,  the  wife  of 
Lieutenant  Emmons,  whose  work  in  Alaska  was  of  great 
value. 

When  the  Roj^al  Gates  are  opened  the  entire  sanctuary 
—  or  Holy  of  Holies,  in  which  no  woman  is  permitted  to 
set  foot,  lest  it  be  defiled  —  may  be  seen. 

To  one  who  does  not  understand  the  significance  of  the 
various  objects,  the  sanctuary  proves  a  disappointment 
until  the  splendid  old  vestments  of  cloth  of  gold  and 
silver  are  brought  out.  These  were  the  personal  gifts 
of  the  great  Baranoff.  They  are  exceedingly  rich  and 
sumptuous,  as  is  the  bisliop's  stole,  made  of  cloth  woven  of 
heavy  silver  threads. 

The  left-hand  chapel  is  consecrated  to  "  Our  Lady  of 
Kazan."  It  is  adorned  with  several  ikons,  one  of  which, 
"  The  Mother  of  God,  "  is  at  once  the  most  beautiful 
and  the  most  valuable  object  in  the  church.  An  offer  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  was  refused  for  it.  The  large 
dark  eyes  of  the  madonna  are  so  filled  with  sorrowful 
tenderness  and  passion  that  they  cannot  be  forgotten. 
They  follow  one  about  the  chapel;  and  after  he  has  gone 
out  into  the  fresh  air  and  the  sunlight  he  still  feels 
them  upon  him.  Those  mournful  eyes  hold  a  message 
that  haunts  the  one  who  has  once  tried  to  read  it.  The 
appeal  which  the  unknown  Russian  artist  has  painted  into 
them  produces  an  effect  that  is  enduring. 

But  most  precious  of  all  to  me  were  those  objects,  of 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  195 

whatsoever  value,  which  were  presented  by  Innocentius, 
the  Metropolitan  of  Moscow,  the  Noble  and  the  Devoted. 
If  ever  a  man  went  forth  in  search  of  the  Holy  Grail,  it 
was  he;  and  if  ever  a  man  came  near  finding  the  Holy 
Grail,  it  was,  likewise,  he. 

From  Sitka  to  Unalaska,  and  up  the  Yukon  so  far  as 
the  Russian  influence  goes,  his  name  is  still  murmured  with 
a  veneration  that  is  almost  adoration. 

Historians  know  him  and  praise  him,  without  a  dissent- 
ing voice,  as  Father  Veniaminoff ;  for  it  was  under  this 
simple  and  unassuming  title  that  the  pure,  earnest,  and 
devout  young  Russian  came  to  the  colonies  in  1823,  carry- 
ing the  high,  white  light  of  his  faith  to  the  wretched 
natives,  among  whom  his  life  work  was  to  be,  from  that 
time  on,  almost  to  the  end. 

No  man  has  ever  done  as  much  for  the  natives  of  Alaska 
as  he,  not  even  Mr.  Duncan.  His  heart  being  all  love 
and  his  nature  all  tenderness,  he  grew  to  love  the  gentle 
Aleutians  and  Sitkans,  and  so  won  their  love  and  trust 
in  return. 

In  the  Sitka  church  is  a  very  costly  and  splendid 
vessel,  used  for  the  Eucharist,  which  was  once  stolen,  but 
afterward  returned.  There  are  censers  of  pure  silver 
and  chaste  design,  which  tinkle  musically  as  they  swing. 

A  visit  to  the  building  of  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Mission  is  als6  interesting.  There  will  be  found  some 
of  the  personal  belongings  of  Father  Veniaminoff  —  his 
clock,  a  writing-desk  which  was  made  by  his  own  hands, 
of  massive  and  enduring  workmanship,  and  several 
articles  of  furniture ;  also  the  ikon  which  once  adorned 
his  cell  —  a  gift  of  Princess  Potemkin. 

Sir  George  Simpson  describes  an  Easter  festival  at 
Sitka  in  1842.  He  found  all  the  people  decked  in  festal 
attire  upon  his  arrival  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
They  were  also,  men  and  women,  quite  "tipsy." 


196  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Upon  arriving  at  Governor  Etholin's  residence,  he  was 
ushered  into  the  great  banqueting  room,  where  a  large 
party  was  rising  from  breakfast.  This  party  was  com- 
posed of  the  bishop  and  priests,  the  Lutheran  clergyman, 
the  naval  officers,  the  secretaries,  business  men,  and 
masters  and  mates  of  vessels, — numbering  in  all  about 
seventy,  —  all  arrayed  in  uniforms  or,  at  the  least,  in  ele- 
gant dress. 

From  morning  till  night  Sir  George  was  compelled 
to  "  run  a  gantlet  of  kisses."  When  two  persons  met, 
one  said,  "  Christ  is  risen  "  —  and  this  was  a  signal  for 
prolonged  kissing.  "Some  of  them,"  adds  Sir  George, 
naively,  "  were  certainly  pleasant  enough ;  but  many, 
even  when  the  performers  were  of  the  fair  sex,  were 
perhaps  too  highly  flavored  for  perfect  comfort." 

He  was  likewise  compelled  to  accept  many  hard-boiled, 
gilded  eggs,  as  souvenirs. 

During  the  whole  week  every  bell  in  the  chimes  of  the 
church  rang  incessantly  —  from  morning  to  night,  from 
night  to  morning;  and  poor  Sir  George  found  the  jan- 
sflingf  of  "these  confounded  bells"  harder  to  endure  than 
the  eggs  or  the  kisses. 

Sir  George  extolled  the  virtues  of  the  bishop  —  Veni- 
aminoff.  His  appearance  impressed  the  Governor-in-Chief 
with  awe ;  his  talents  and  attainments  seemed  worthy 
of  his  already  exalted  station ;  while  the  gentleness 
which  characterized  his  every  word  and  deed  insensibly 
moulded  reverence  into  love. 

Whymper  visited  Sitka  in  1865,  and  found  Russian 
hospitality  under  the  administration  of  Matsukoff  almost 
as  lavish  as  during  Baranoff's  famous  reign. 

"  Russian  hospitality  is  proverbial,"  remarks  Whymper, 
"  and  we  all  somewhat  suffered  therefrom.  The  first 
phrase  of  their  language  acquired  by  us  was  '  petnatchit 
copla'  —  fifteen  drops."     This  innocently  sounding  phrase 


t -.-=.',  .<i|=3'. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  197 

really  meant  a  good  half-tumbler  of  some  undiluted 
liquor,  ranging  from  cognac  to  raw  vodhka,  which  was 
pressed  upon  the  visitors  upon  every  available  occasion. 
A  refusal  to  drink  meant  an  insult  to  their  host ;  and 
they  were  often  sorely  put  to  it  to  carry  gracefully  the 
burden  of  entertainment  which  they  dared  not  decline. 

The  big  brass  samovar  was  in  every  household,  and 
they  were  compelled  to  drink  strong  Russian  tea,  served 
by  the  tumblerful.  Balls,  banquets,  and  fetes  in  the 
gardens  of  the  social  clubs  were  given  in  their  honor  ; 
while  their  fleet  of  four  vessels  in  the  harbor  was  daily 
visited  by  large  numbers  of  Russian  ladies  and  gentlemen 
from  the  town. 

At  all  seasons  of  the  year  the  tables  of  the  higher 
classes  were  supplied  with  game,  chickens,  pork,  vege- 
tables, berries,  and  every  luxury  obtainable  ;  while  the 
food  of  the  common  laborers  was,  in  summer,  fresh  fish,  and 
in  winter,  salt  fish. 

Sir  George  Simpson  attended  a  Koloshian  funeral  at 
Sitka,  or  New  Archangel,  in  1842.  The  body  of  the 
deceased,  arrayed  in  the  gayest  of  apparel,  lay  in  state 
for  two  or  three  days,  during  which  time  the  relatives 
fasted  and  bewailed  their  loss.  At  the  end  of  this 
period,  the  body  was  placed  on  a  funeral  pyre,  round 
which  the  relatives  gathered,  their  faces  painted  black 
and  their  hair  covered  with  eagles'  down.  The  pipe  was 
passed  around  several  times  ;  and  then,  in  obedience  to 
a  secret  sign,  the  fire  was  kindled  in  several  places  at 
once.  Wailings  and  loud  lamentations,  accompanied  by 
ceaseless  drumming,  continued  until  the  pyre  was  entirely 
consumed.  The  ashes  were,  at  last,  collected  into  an 
ornamental  box,  which  was  elevated  on  a  scaffold. 
Many  of  these  monuments  were  seen  on  the  side  of  a 
neighboring  hill. 

A  wedding  witnessed  at  about  the  same  time  was  quite 


198  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

as  interesting  as  the  funeral,  presenting  several  unique 
features.  A  good-looking  Creole  girl,  named  Archi- 
manditoffra,  married  the  mate  of  a  vessel  lying  in  port. 

Attended  by  their  friends  and  the  more  important 
residents  of  Sitka,  the  couple  proceeded  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening  to  the  church,  where  a  tiresome  service, 
lasting  an  hour  and  a  half,  was  solemnized  by  a  priest. 

The  bridegroom  then  led  his  bride  to  the  ballroom. 
The  most  startling  feature  of  this  wedding  was  of  Russian, 
rather  than  savage,  origin.  The  person  compelled  to  bear 
all  the  expense  of  the  wedding  was  chosen  to  give  the  bride 
away;  and  no  man  upon  whom  this  honor  was  conferred 
ever  declined  it. 

This  custom  might  be  followed  with  beneficial  results  to- 
day, a  bachelor  being  always  honored,  until,  in  sheer  self- 
defence,  many  a  young  man  would  prefer  to  pay  for  his  own 
wedding  to  constantly  paying  for  the  wedding  of  some 
other  man.  It  is  more  polite  than  the  proposed  tax  on 
bachelors. 

At  this  wedding  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  Sitka  were 
assembled.  The  ladies  were  showily  attired  in  muslin 
dresses,  white  satin  shoes,  silk  stockings,  and  kid  gloves  ; 
they  wore  flowers  and  carried  white  fans. 

The  ball  was  opened  by  the  bride  and  the  highest 
officer  present;  and  quadrille  followed  waltz  in  rapid 
succession  until  daylight. 

The  music  was  excellent  ;  and  the  unfortunate  host 
and  paymaster  of  the  ceremonies  carried  out  his  part  like 
a  prince.  Tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  and  champagne  were 
served  generously,  varied  with  delicate  foods,  "  petnatchit 
coplas  "  of  strong  liquors,  and  expensive  cigars. 

According  to  the  law  of  the  church,  the  bridesmaids 
and  bridesmen  were  prohibited  from  marrying  each  other  ; 
but,  owing  to  the  limitations  in  Sitka,  a  special  dis- 
pensation had  been  granted,  permitting  such  marriages. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  199 

From  the  old  Russian  cemetery  on  the  hill,  a  panoramic 
view  is  obtained  of  the  town,  the  harbor,  the  blue  water- 
ways winding  among  the  green  islands  to  the  ocean,  and 
the  snow  mountains  floating  above  the  pearly  clouds  on 
all  sides.  In  a  quiet  corner  of  the  cemetery  rests  the 
first  Princess  Matsukoif,  an  Englishwoman,  who  graced 
the  "  Castle  on  the  Rock "  ere  she  died,  in  the  middle 
sixties.  Her  successor  was  young,  beautiful,  and  gay  ; 
and  her  reign  was  as  brilliant  as  it  was  brief.  She  it  was 
who,  through  bitter  and  passionate  tears,  dimly  beheld  the 
Russian  flag  lowered  from  its  proud  place  on  the  castle's 
lofty  flagstaff  and  the  flag  of  the  United  States  sweeping 
up  in  its  stead.  But  the  first  proud  Princess  Matsukoff 
slept  on  in  her  quiet  resting-place  beside  the  blue  and 
alien  sea,  and  grieved  not. 

From  all  parts  of  the  harbor  and  the  town  is  seen  the 
kekoor,  the  "  rocky  promontory,"  from  which  Baranoff 
and  Lisiansky  drove  the  Koloshians  after  the  massacre, 
and  upon  which  Baranoff's  castle  later  stood. 

It  rises  abruptly  to  a  height  of  about  eighty  feet,  and 
is  ascended  by  a  long  flight  of  wooden  steps. 

The  first  castle  was  burned  ;  another  was  erected,  and 
was  destroyed  by  earthquake  ;  was  rebuilt,  and  was 
again  destroyed  —  the  second  time  by  fire.  The  emi- 
nence is  now  occupied  by  the  home  of  Professor  George- 
son,  who  conducts  the  government  agricultural  experi- 
mental work  in  Alaska. 

The  old  log  trading  house  which  is  on  the  right  side  of 
the  street  leading  to  the  church  is  wearing  out  at  last. 
On  some  of  the  old  buildings  patches  of  modern  weather- 
boarding  mingle  with  the  massive  and  ancient  logs,  pro- 
ducing an  effect  that  is  almost  grotesque. 

In  the  old  hotel  Lady  Franklin  once  rested  with  an 
uneasy  heart,  during  the  famous  search  for  her  husband. 

The  barracks  and  custom-house  front  on  a  vivid  green 


200  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

parade  ground  that  slopes  to  the  water.  Slender  gravelled 
roads  lead  across  this  well-kept  green  to  the  quarters  and 
to  the  building  formerly  occupied  by  Governor  Brady 
as  the  Executive  Offices.  His  residence  is  farther  on, 
around  the  baj^  in  the   direction  of   the  Indian  village. 

There  are  fine  fur  and  curio  stores  on  the  main  street. 

The  homes  of  Sitka  are  neat  and  attractive.  The 
window  boxes  and  carefully  tended  gardens  are  brilliant 
with  bloom  in  summer. 

Passing  through  the  town,  one  soon  reaches  the  hard, 
white  road  that  leads  along  the  curving  shingle  to  Indian 
River.  The  road  curves  with  the  beach  and  goes  glim- 
mering on  ahead,  until  it  disappears  in  the  green  mist  of 
the  forest. 

Surely  no  place  on  this  fair  earth  could  less  deserve  the 
offensive  name  of  "  park  "'  than  the  strip  of  land  border- 
ing Indian  River, — five  hundred  feet  wide  on  one  bank,  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  on  the  other,  between  the  falls 
and  the  low  plain  where  it  pours  into  the  sea,  —  which  in 
1890  was  set  aside  for  this  purpose. 

It  has  been  kept  undefiled.  There  is  not  a  sign,  nor  a 
painted  seat,  nor  a  little  stiff  flower  bed  in  it.  There  is 
not  a  striped  paper  bag,  nor  a  peanut  shell,  nor  the  peel 
of  an  orange  anywhere. 

It  must  be  that  only  those  people  who  live  on  beauty, 
instead  of  food,  haunt  this  beautiful  spot. 

The  spruce,  the  cedar,  and  the  pine  grow  gracefully  and 
luxuriantly,  their  lacy  branches  spreading  out  flat  and 
motionless  upon  the  still  air,  tapering  from  the  ground 
to  a  fine  point.  The  hard  road,  velvet-napped  with  the 
spicy  needles  of  centuries,  winds  through  them  and  under 
them,  the  branches  often  touching  the  wayfarer's  bared 
head. 

The  devil's-club  grows  tall  and  large  ;  there  are  thickets 
of   salmon-berry   and   thimbleberry ;    there  are  banks  of 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  201 

velvety  green,  and  others  blue  with  violets  ;  there  are 
hedges  of  wild  roses,  the  bloom  looking  in  the  distance 
like  an  amethyst  cloud  floating  upon  the  green. 

The  Alaskan  thimbleberry  is  the  most  delicious  berry 
that  grows.  Large,  scarlet,  velvety,  yet  evanescent,  it 
scarcely  touclies  the  tongue  ere  its  ravishing  flavor  has  be- 
come a  memory. 

The  vegetation  is  all  of  tropical  luxuriance,  and,  owing 
to  its  constant  dew  and  mist  baths,  it  is  of  an  intense 
and  vivid  green  that  is  fairly  dazzling  where  the  sun 
touches  it.  One  of  the  chief  charms  of  the  wooded  reserve 
is  its  stillness  —  broken  only  by  the  musical  rush  of  waters 
and  the  lyrical  notes  of  birds.  A  kind  of  lavender  twi- 
light abides  beneath  the  trees,  and,  with  the  narrow, 
spruce-aisled  vistas  that  oj^en  at  every  turn,  gives  one  a 
sensation  as  of  being  in  some  dim  and  scented  cathedral. 

Enticing  paths  lead  away  from  the  main  road  to  the 
river,  where  the  voices  of  rapids  and  cataracts  call;  but 
at  last  one  comes  to  an  open  space,  so  closely  walled  round 
on  all  sides  by  the  forest  that  it  may  easily  be  passed 
without  being  seen  —  and  to  which  one  makes  his  way 
with  difficulty,  pushing  aside  branches  of  trees  and  tall 
ferns  as  he  proceeds. 

Here,  producing  an  effect  that  is  positively  uncanny, 
are  several  great  totems,  shining  out  brilliantly  from  their 
dark  green  setting. 

One  experiences  that  solemn  feeling  which  every  one 
has  known,  as  of  standing  among  the  dead  ;  the  shades 
of  Baranoff,  Behring,  Lisiansky,  Veniaminoff,  Chirikoff, 
—  all  the  unknown  murdered  ones,  too,  —  go  drifting 
noiselessly,  with  reproachful  faces,  through  the  dim 
wood. 

It  was  on  the  beach  near  this  grove  of  totems  that 
Lisiansky's  men  were  murdered  by  Koloshians  in  1804, 
while  obtaining  water  for  the  ship. 


202       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  Sitka  Industrial  Training  School  was  founded 
nearly  thirty  years  ago  by  ex-Governor  Brady,  who  was 
then  a  missionary  to  the  Indians  of  Alaska. 

It  was  first  attended  by  about  one  hundred  natives, 
ranging  from  the  very  young  to  the  very  old.  This  school 
was  continued,  with  varied  success,  by  different  people  — 
including  Captain  Glass,  of  the  Jamestown — until  Dr. 
Sheldon  Jackson  became  interested,  and,  with  Mr.  Brady 
and  Mr.  Austin,  sought  and  obtained  aid  from  the  Board 
of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

A  building  was  erected  for  a  Boys'  Home,  and  this  was 
followed,  a  year  later,  by  a  Girls'  Home. 

The  girls  were  taught  to  speak  the  English  language, 
cook,  wash,  iron,  sew,  mend,  and  to  become  cleanly, 
cheerful,  honest,  honorable  women. 

The  boys  were  taught  to  speak  the  English  language ; 
the  trades  of  shoemaking,  coopering,  boat-building,  car- 
pentry, engineering,  rope-making,  and  all  kinds  of  agricul- 
tural work.  The  rudiments  of  bricklaying,  painting,  and 
paper-hanging  are  also  taught. 

During  the  year  1907  a  Bible  Training  Department 
was  added  for  those  among  the  older  boys  and  girls  who 
desired  to  obtain  knowledge  along  such  lines,  or  who  as- 
pired to  take  up  missionary  work  among  their  people. 

Twelve  pupils  took  up  the  work,  and  six  continued  it 
throughout  the  year.  The  work  in  this  department  is,  of 
course,  voluntary  on  the  part  of  the  student. 

The  Sitka  Training  School  is  not,  at  present,  a  govern- 
ment school.  During  the  early  nineties  it  received  aid 
from  the  government,  under  the  government's  method  of 
subsidizing  denominational  schools,  where  they  were  al- 
ready established,  instead  of  incurring  the  extra  expense 
of  establishing  new  government  schools  in  the  same  locali- 
ties. 

When  the  government  ceased  granting  such  subsidies. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  203 

the  Sitka  School — as  well  as  many  other  denominational 
schools  —  lost  this  assistance. 

The  property  of  the  school  has  always  belonged  to  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions. 

For  many  years  it  was  customary  to  keep  pupils  at  the 
schools  from  their  entrance  until  their  education  was 
finished. 

In  the  summer  of  1905  the  experiment  was  tried  of  per- 
mitting a  few  pupils  to  go  to  their  homes  during  vacation. 
All  returned  in  September  cheerfully  and  willingly;  and 
now,  each  summer,  more  than  seventy  boys  and  girls  re- 
turn to  their  homes  to  spend  the  time  of  vacation  with 
their  families. 

In  former  years,  it  would  have  been  too  injurious  to  the 
child  to  be  subjected  to  the  influence  of  its  parents,  who 
were  but  slightly  removed  from  savagery.  To-day,  al- 
though many  of  the  old  lieathenish  rites  and  customs  still 
exist,  they  have  not  so  deep  a  hold  upon  the  natives;  and 
it  is  hoped,  and  expected,  that  the  influence  of  the  students 
for  good  upon  their  people  will  far  exceed  that  of  their 
people  for  ill  upon  them. 

During  the  past  year  ninety  boys  and  seventy-four  girls 
were  enrolled  —  or  as  many  as  can  be  accommodated  at 
the  schools.  They  represent  the  three  peoples  into  which 
the  Indians  of  southeastern  Alaska  are  now  roughly 
divided  —  the  Thlinkits,  the  Haidahs,  and  the  Tsimpsians. 
They  come  from  Katalla,  Yakutat,  Skagway,  Klukwan, 
Haines,  Douglas,  Juneau,  Kasaan,  Hovvkan,  Metlakahtla, 
Hoonah  —  and,  indeed,  from  almost  every  point  in  south- 
eastern Alaska  where  a  handful  of  Indians  are  gathered 
together. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

The  many  people  wlio  innocently  believe  that  there  are 
no  birds  in  Alaska  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  there 
are,  at  least,  fifty  different  species  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  that  country. 

Among  these  are  the  song  sparrow,  the  rufous  humming- 
bird, the  western  robin,  of  unfailing  cheeriness,  the  russet- 
backed  thrush,  the  barn  swallow,  the  golden-crowned 
kinglet,  the  Oregon  Junco,  the  winter  wren,  and  the 
bird  that,  in  liquid  clearness  and  poignant  sweetness  of 
note,  is  second  only  to  the  western  meadow-lark  —  the 
poetic  hermit  thrush. 

He  that  has  heard  the  impassioned  notes  of  this  shy 
bird  rising  from  the  woods  of  Sitka  will  smile  at  the 
assertion  that  there  are  no  birds  in  Alaska. 

On  the  way  to  Indian  River  is  the  museum,  whose  in- 
teresting and  valuable  contents  were  gathered  chiefly  by 
Sheldon  Jackson,  and  which  still  bears  his  name. 

Dr.  Jackson  has  been  the  general  Agent  of  Education 
in  Alaska  since  1885,  and  the  Superintendent  of  Presby- 
terian Missions  since  1877.  His  work  in  Alaska  in  early 
years  was,  undoubtedly,  of  great  value. 

The  museum  stands  in  an  evergreen  grove,  not  far  from 
the  road.  Here  may  be  found  curios  and  relics  of  great 
value.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  however,  that  many  of  the 
articles  are  labelled  with  the  names  of  collectors  instead  of 
those  of  the  real  donors  —  at  least,  this  is  the  information 
voluntarily  given  me  by  some  of  the  donors. 

204 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  205 

In  the  collection  is  an  interesting  war  bonnet,  which 
was  donated  by  Chief  Kath-le-an,  who  planned  and  carried 
out  the  siege  of  1878. 

It  was  owned  by  one  of  Kath-le-an's  ancestors.  It  is 
made  of  wood,  carved  into  a  raven's  head.  It  has  been 
worked  and  polished  until  the  shell  is  more  like  velvet 
than  wood,  and  is  dyed  black. 

It  was  many  years  ago  a  polite  custom  of  the  Thlinkits 
to  paint  and  oil  the  face  of  a  visitor,  as  a  matter  of  hospi- 
tality and  an  indication  of  friendly  feeling  and  respect. 

A  visitor  from  another  tribe  to  Sitka  fell  ill  and  died, 
shortly  after  having  been  so  oiled  and  honored,  and  his 
people  claimed  that  the  oil  was  rancid,  —  or  that  some 
evil  spell  had  been  oiled  into  him,  —  and  a  war  arose. 

The  Sitka  tribe  began  the  preparation  of  the  raven  war 
bonnet  and  worked  upon  it  all  summer,  while  actual 
hostilities  were  delayed. 

As  winter  came  on,  Kath-le-an's  ancestor  one  day 
addressed  his  young  men,  telling  them  that  the  new  war 
bonnet  on  his  head  would  serve  as  a  talisman  to  carry 
them  to  a  glorious  victory  over  their  enemies. 

Through  the  battle  that  followed,  the  war  bonnet  was 
everywhere  to  be  seen  in  the  centre  of  the  most  furious 
fighting.  Only  once  did  it  go  down,  and  then  only  for  a 
moment,  when  the  chief  struggled  to  his  feet;  and  as  his 
young  men  saw  the  symbol  of  victory  rising  from  the  dust, 
the  thrill  of  renewed  hope  that  went  through  them  im- 
pelled them  forward  in  one  splendid,  simultaneous  move- 
ment that  won  the  day. 

In  1804  Kath-le-an  himself  wore  the  hat  when  his  people 
were  besieged  for  many  days  by  the  Russians. 

On  this  occasion  the  spell  of  the  war  bonnet  was  broken ; 
and  upon  his  utter  defeat,  Kath-le-an,  feeling  that  it  had 
lost  its  charm  for  good  luck,  buried  the  unfortunate  symbol 
in  the  woods. 


206  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Many  years  afterward  Kath-le-an  exhumed  the  hat  and 
presented  it  to  the  museum. 

"  We  will  hereafter  dwell  in  peace  with  the  white 
people,"  he  said;  "so  my  young  men  will  never  again 
need  the  war  bonnet." 

Kath-le-an  has  to  this  day  kept  his  word.  He  is  still 
alive,  but  is  nearly  ninety  years  old. 

Interesting  stories  and  myths  are  connected  with  a 
large  number  of  the  relics  in  the  museum  —  to  which  the 
small  admission  fee  of  fifty  cents  is  asked. 

One  of  the  early  picturesque  block-houses  built  by  the 
Russians  still  stands  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  on  a 
slight  eminence  above  the  town,  on  the  way  to  the  old 
cemetery. 

The  story  of  the  lowering  of  the  Russian  flag,  and  the 
hoisting  of  the  American  colors  at  Sitka,  is  fraught  with 
significance  to  the  superstitious. 

The  steamship  John  L.  Stevens^  carrying  United  States 
troops  from  San  Francisco,  arrived  in  Sitka  Harbor 
on  the  morning  of  October  9,  1867.  The  gunboats 
Jamestown  and  Hesaca  had  already  arrived  and  were  lying 
at  anchor.  The  Ossipee  did  not  enter  the  harbor  until 
the  morning  of  the  eighteenth. 

At  three  o'clock  of  the  same  day  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Jefferson  C.  Davis,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
strong,  in  full  uniform,  armed  and  handsomely  equipped, 
were  landed,  and  marched  to  the  heights  where  the  famous 
Governor's  Castle  stood.  Here  they  were  met  by  a  com- 
pany of  Russian  soldiers  who  took  their  place  upon  the 
left  of  the  flagstaff. 

The  command  of  General  Davis  formed  on  the  right. 
The  United  States  flag,  which  was  to  float  for  the  first 
time  in  possession  of  Sitka,  was  in  the  care  of  a  color 
guard  —  a  lieutenant,  a  sergeant,  and  ten  men. 

Besides  the  officers  and  troops,  there  were  present  the 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  207 

Prince  and  Princess  Matsukoff,  many  Russian  and  Ameri- 
can residents,  and  some  interested  Indians. 

It  was  arranged  by  Captain  Pestchouroff  and  General 
Lovell  N.  Rosseau,  Commissioner  for  the  United  States, 
that  the  United  States  should  lead  in  firing  the  first 
salute,  but  that  there  should  be  alternate  guns  from  the 
American  and  Russian  batteries  —  thus  giving  the  flag 
of  each  nation  a  double  national  salute. 

The  ceremony  was  begun  by  the  lowering  of  the  Russian 
flag  —  which  caused  the  princess  to  burst  into  passionate 
weeping,  while  all  the  Russians  gazed  upon  their  colors 
with  the  deepest  sorrow  and  regret  marked  upon  their  faces. 

As  the  battery  of  the  Ossipee  led  off  in  the  salute  and 
the  deep  peals  crashed  upon  Mount  Verstovi  and  rever- 
berated across  the  bay,  an  accident  occurred  which  has 
ever  been  considered  an  omen  of  misfortune. 

The  Russian  flag  became  entangled  about  the  ropes, 
owing  to  a  high  wind,  and  refused  to  be  lowered. 

The  staff  was  a  native  pine,  about  ninety  feet  in  height. 
Russian  soldiers,  who  were  sailors  as  well,  at  once  set  out 
to  climb  the  pole.  It  was  so  far  to  the  flag,  however,  that 
their  strength  failed  ere  they  reached  it. 

A  "  boatswain's  chair  "  was  hastily  rigged  of  rope,  and 
another  Russian  soldier  was  hoisted  to  the  flag.  On 
reaching  it,  he  untangled  it  and  then  made  the  mistake 
of  dropping  it  to  the  ground,  not  understanding  Captain 
Pestchouroff's  energetic  commands  to  the  contrary. 

It  fell  upon  the  bayonets  of  the  Russian  soldiers  — 
which  was  considered  an  ill  omen  for  Russia. 

The  United  States  flag  was  then  slowly  hoisted  by 
George  Lovell  Rosseau,  and  the  salutes  were  fired  as  be- 
fore, the  Russian  water  battery  leading  this  time. 

The  hoisting  of  the  flag  was  so  timed  that  at  the  exact 
instant  of  its  reaching  its  place,  the  report  of  the  last  big 
gun  of  the  Ossipee  roared  out  its  final  salute. 


208  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  salutes,  Captain  Pestchou- 
roff  approached  the  commissioner  and  said  :  — 

"  General  Rosseau,  by  authorit}"  of  his  Majesty,  the 
Emperor  of  Russia,  I  transfer  to  the  United  States  the 
Territory  of  Alaska." 

The  transfer  was  simply  accepted,  and  the  ceremony 
was  at  an  end. 

No  one  understanding  the  American  spirit  can  seriously 
condemn  the  Americans  present  for  the  three  cheers  which 
burst  spontaneously  forth  ;  yet  there  are  occasions  upon 
which  an  exhibition  of  good  taste,  repression,  and  con- 
sideration for  the  people  of  other  nationalities  present  is 
more  admirable  and  commendable  than  a  spread-eagle  burst 
of  patriotism. 

The  last  trouble  caused  by  the  Sitkan  Indians  was  in 
1878.  The  sealing  schooner  San  Diego  carried  among 
its  crew  seven  men  of  the  Kake-sat-tee  clan.  The  schooner 
was  wrecked  and  six  of  the  Kake-sat-tees  were  drowned. 
Chief  Kath-le-an  demanded  of  Colonel  M.  D.  Ball,  collector 
of  customs  and,  at  that  time,  the  only  representative  of 
the  government  in  Sitka,  one  thousand  blankets  for  the 
life  of  each  man  drowned. 

Colonel  Ball,  appreciating  the  gravity  of  the  situation, 
and  desiring  time  to  prepare  for  the  attack  which  he  knew 
would  be  made  u^^on  the  town,  promised  to  write  to  the 
company  in  San  Francisco  and  to  the  government  in 
Washington. 

After  a  long  delay  a  reply  to  his  letter  arrived  from  the 
company,  which  refused,  as  he  had  expected,  to  allow  the 
claim,  and  stated  that  no  wages,  even,  were  due  the  men 
who  were  drowned. 

The  government  —  which  at  that  time  had  a  vague  idea 
that  Alaska  was  a  great  iceberg  floating  between  America 
and  Siberia  —  paid  no  attention  to  the  plea  for  assistance. 


ALASKA:    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY  209 

When  Chief  Kath-le-an  learned  that  payment  in  blankets 
would  not  be  made,  he  demanded  the  lives  of  six  white 
men.  This,  also,  being  refused,  he  withdrew  to  prepare 
for  battle. 

Then  hasty  preparations  were  made  in  the  settlement 
to  meet  the  hourly  expected  attack.  All  the  firearms  were 
made  readj^  for  action,  and  a  guard  kept  watch  day  and 
night.  The  Russian  women  and  children  were  quartered 
in  the  home  of  Father  Nicolai  Metropolsky  ;  the  Americans 
in  the  custom-house. 

The  Indians  held  their  war  feast  many  miles  from 
Sitka.  On  their  way  to  attack  the  village  they  passed 
the  White  Sulphur  Hot  Springs,  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Baranoff  Island,  and  murdered  the  man  in  charge. 

They  then  demanded  the  lives  of  five  white  men,  and 
when  their  demand  was  again  refused,  they  marched 
stealthily  upon  the  settlement. 

However,  Sitka  possessed  a  warm  and  faithful  friend 
in  the  person  of  Anna-Hoots,  Chief  of  the  Kak-wan-tans. 
He  and  his  men  met  the  hostile  party  and,  while  attempt- 
ing to  turn  them  aside  from  their  murderous  purpose,  a 
general  fight  among  the  two  clans  was  precipitated. 

Before  the  Kake-sat-tees  could  again  advance,  a  mail- 
boat  arrived,  and  the  war  passion  simmered. 

When  the  boat  sailed,  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  British 
authorities  at  Esquimault,  asking,  for  humanity's  sake,  that 
assistance  be  sent  to  Sitka. 

Kath-le-an  had  retreated  for  reenforcement ;  and  on  the 
eve  of  his  return  to  make  a  second  attack,  H.M.S.  Osprey 
arrived  in  the  harbor. 

The  appeal  to  another  nation  for  aid,  and  the  bitter 
newspaper  criticism  of  its  own  indifference,  had  at  last 
aroused  the  United  States  government  to  a  realization  of 
its  responsibilities.  The  revenue  cutter  Wolcott  dropped 
anchor  in  the  Sitka  Harbor  a  few  days  after  the  Osprey ; 


210  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and    from    that    time    on    Sitka   was    not    left    without 
protection. 

Along  the  curving  road  to  Indian  River  stands  the  soft 
gray  Episcopal  Church,  St.  Peter's-by-the-Sea.  Built  of 
rough  gray  stone  and  shingles,  it  is  an  immediate  pleasure 
and  rest  to  the  eye. 

"  Its  doors  stand  open  to  the  sea, 
The  wind  goes  thro'  at  will, 
And  bears  the  scent  of  brine  and  blue 
To  the  far  emerald  hill." 

Any  stranger  may  enter  alone,  and  passing  into  any 
pew,  may  kneel  in  silent  communion  with  the  God  who 
has  created  few  things  on  this  earth  more  beautiful  than 
Sitka. 

No  admission  is  asked.  The  church  is  free  to  the 
prince  and  the  pauper,  the  sinner  and  the  saint;  to  those 
of  every  creed,  and  to  those  of  no  creed  at  all. 

The  church  has  no  rector,  but  is  presided  over  by  P.  T, 
Rowe,  the  Bishop  of  All  Alaska  and  the  Beloved  of  All 
Men ;  him  who  carries  over  laud  and  sea,  over  ice  and 
everlasting  snow,  over  far  tundra  wastes  and  down  the 
lone  and  mighty  Yukon  in  his  solitary  canoe  or  bidarka, 
by  dog  team  and  on  foot,  to  white  people  and  dark,  and 
to  whomsoever  needs  —  the  simple,  sweet,  and  blessed 
message  of  Love. 

It  was  in  1895  that  Reverend  P.  T.  Rowe,  Rector  of 
St.  James'  Church,  Sault  Sainte  Marie,  was  confirmed  as 
Bishop  of  Alaska.  He  went  at  once  to  that  far  and  un- 
known land  ;  and  of  him  and  his  work  there  no  words 
are  ever  heard  save  those  of  love  and  praise.  He  is  bishop, 
rector,  and  travelling  missionary;  he  is  doctor,  apothecary, 
and  nurse ;  he  is  the  hope  and  the  comfort  of  the  dying 
and  the  pall-bearer  of  the  dead.  He  travels  many  hun- 
dreds of  miles  every  year,  by  lone  and  perilous  ways,  over 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  211 

the  ice  and  snow,  with  only  an  Indian  guide  and  a  team 
of  huskies,  to  carry  the  word  of  God  into  dark  places. 
He  is  equally  at  ease  in  the  barabara  and  in  the  palace- 
like homes  of  the  rich  when  he  visits  the  large  cities  of  the 
world. 

Bishop  Rowe  is  an  exceptionally  handsome  man,  of 
courtly  bearing  and  polished  manners.  The  moment  he 
enters  a  church  his  personality  impresses  itself  upon  the 
people  assembled  to  hear  him  speak. 

On  a  gray  August  Sunday  in  Nome  —  three  thousand 
miles  from  Sitka  —  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  many  peo- 
ple on  their  way  to  midday  service,  Alaska  not  being 
famed  for  its  church-going  qualities. 

"  Oh,  it  is  the  Bishop,"  said  the  hotel  clerk,  smiling. 
"  Bishop  Rowe,"  he  added,  apparently  as  an  after-thought. 
"Everybody  goes  to  church  when  he  comes  to  town." 

I  had  never  seen  Bishop  Rowe,  and  I  had  planned  to 
spend  the  day  alone  on  the  beach,  for  the  surf  was  rolling 
high  and  its  musical  thunder  filled  the  town.  Its  lonely, 
melancholy  spell  was  upon  me,  and  its  call  was  loud  and 
insistent ;  and  my  heart  told  me  to  go. 

But  I  had  heard  so  much  of  Bishop  Rowe  and  his  self- 
devoted  work  in  Alaska  that  I  finally  turned  my  back 
upon  temptation  and  joined  the  narrow  stream  of  human- 
ity wending  its  way  to  the  little  church. 

When  Bishop  Rowe  came  bending  his  dark  head 
through  the  low  door  leading  from  the  vestry,  clad  in  his 
rich  scarlet  and  purple  and  gold-embroidered  robes,  I 
thought  I  had  never  seen  so  handsome  a  man. 

But  his  appearance  was  forgotten  the  moment  he  began 
to  speak.  He  talked  to  us  ;  but  he  did  not  preach.  And 
we,  gathered  there  from  so  many  distant  lands  —  each 
with  his  own  hopes  and  sins  and  passions,  his  own  desires 
and  selfishness  —  grew  closer  together  and  leaned  upon 
the  words  that  were  spoken  there  to  us.     They  were  so 


212  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

simple,  and  so  earnest,  and  so  sweet ;  they  were  so  seri- 
ously and  so  kindly  uttered. 

And  the  text  —  it  went  with  us,  out  into  the  sea-sweet, 
surf-beaten  streets  of  Nome  ;  and  this  was  it,  "  Love  me  ; 
and  tell  me  so."  Like  the  illustrious  Veniaminoff,  Bishop 
Rowe,  of  a  diiferent  church  and  creed,  and  working  in  a 
later,  more  commercial  age,  has  yet  won  his  hold  upon 
northern  hearts  by  the  sane  and  simple  way  of  Love. 
The  text  of  his  sermon  that  gray  day  in  the  surf-beaten, 
tundra-sweet  city  of  Nome  is  the  text  that  he  is  patiently 
and  cheerfully  working  out  in  his  noble  life-work. 

Mr.  Duncan,  at  Metlakahtla,  has  given  his  life  to  the 
Indians  who  have  gathered  about  him  ;  but  Bishop  Rowe, 
of  All  Alaska,  has  given  his  life  to  dark  men  and  white, 
wherever  they  might  be.  Year  after  year  he  has  gone  out 
by  perilous  ways  to  find  them,  and  to  scatter  among  them 
his  words  of  love  —  as  softly  and  as  gently  as  the  Indians 
used  to  scatter  the  white  down  from  the  breasts  of  sea- 
birds,  as  a  message  of  peace  to  all  men. 

The  White  Sulphur  Hot  Springs,  now  frequently  called 
the  Sitka  Hot  Springs,  are  situated  on  Hot  Springs  Bay 
on  the  eastern  shore  of  Baranoff  Island,  almost  directly 
east  of  Sitka. 

The  bay  is  sheltered  by  many  small  green  islands,  with 
lofty  mountains  rising  behind  the  sloping  shores.  It  is 
an  ideally  beautiful  and  desirable  place  to  visit,  even  aside 
from  the  curative  qualities  of  the  clear  waters  which  bubble 
from  pools  and  crevices  among  the  rocks.  These  springs 
have  been  famous  since  their  discovery  by  Lisiansky  in 
1805.  Sir  George  Simpson  visited  them  in  1842 ;  and 
with  every  year  that  has  passed  their  praises  have  been 
more  enthusiastically  sung  by  the  fortunate  ones  who 
have  voyaged  to  that  dazzlingly  green  and  jewelled 
region. 

The  main  spring  has  a  temperature  of  one  hundred  and 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  213 

fifty-three  degrees  Fahrenheit,  its  waters  cooking  eggs  in 
eight  minutes.  From  this  spring  the  baths  are  fed,  their 
waters,  flowing  down  to  the  sea,  being  soon  reduced  in 
temperature  to  one  hundred  and  tliirty  degrees. 

Fihny  vapors  float  over  the  vicinity  of  the  springs  and 
rise  in  funnel-shaped  columns  which  may  be  seen  at  a 
considerable  distance,  and  which  impart  an  atmosphere  of 
mystery  and  unreality  to  the  place. 

Vegetation  is  of  unusual  luxuriance,  even  for  this  land 
of  tropical  growth  ;  and  in  recent  years  experiments  with 
melons  and  vegetables  which  usually  mature  in  tropic 
climes  only,  have  been  entirely  successful  in  this  steamy 
and  balmy  region. 

There  are  four  springs,  in  whose  waters  the  Indians, 
from  the  time  of  their  discovery,  have  sought  to  wash  away 
the  ills  to  which  flesh  is  heir.  They  came  hundreds  of 
miles  and  lay  for  hours  at  a  time  in  the  healing  baths  with 
only  their  heads  visible.  The  bay  was  neutral  ground 
where  all  might  come,  but  where  none  might  make  set- 
tlement or  establish  claims. 

The  waters  near  abound  in  fish  and  water-fowl,  and  the 
forests  with  deer,  bears,  and  other  large  game. 

The  place  is  coming  but  slowly  to  the  recognition  of  the 
present  generation.  When  the  tropic  beauty  of  its  loca- 
tion and  the  curative  powers  of  its  waters  are  more  gener- 
ally known,  it  will  be  a  Mecca  for  pilgrims. 

The  main  station  of  Government  Agricultural  Experi- 
mental work  in  Alaska  is  located  at  Sitka.  Professor  C. 
C.  Georgeson  is  the  special  agent  in  charge  of  the  work, 
which  has  been  very  successful.  It  has  accomplished  more 
than  anything  else  in  the  way  of  dispelling  the  erroneous 
impressions  which  people  have  received  of  Alaska  by  read- 
ing the  descriptions  of  early  explorers  who  fancied  that 
every  drift  of  snow  was  a  living  glacier  and  every  feather 
the  war  bonnet  of  a  savaore. 


214  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

In  1906,  at  Coldfoot,  sixty  miles  north  of  the  Arctic 
Circle,  were  grown  cucumbers  eight  inches  long,  nineteen- 
inch  rhubarb,  potatoes  four  inches  long,  cabbages  whose 
matured  heads  weighed  eight  pounds,  and  turnips  weigh- 
ing sixteen  pounds  —  all  of  excellent  quality. 

At  Bear  Lake,  near  Seward  and  Cook  Inlet,  were  grown 
good  potatoes,  radishes,  lettuce,  carrots,  beets,  rhubarb, 
strawberries,  raspberries,  Logan  berries,  blackberries  ;  also, 
roses,  lilacs,  and  English  ivy.  In  this  locality  cows  and 
chickens  thrive  and  are  profitable  investments  for  those 
who  are  not  too  indolent  to  take  care  of  them. 

Alaskan  lettuce  must  be  eaten  to  be  appreciated.  Dur- 
ing the  hot  daj's  and  the  long,  light  hours  of  the  nights  it 
grows  so  rapidly  that  its  crispness  and  delicacy  of  flavor 
cannot  be  imagined. 

Everything  in  Alaska  is  eitlier  the  largest,  the  best,  or 
most  beautiful,  in  the  world,  the  people  who  live  there 
maintain  ;  and  this  soon  grows  to  be  a  joke  to  the  traveller. 
But  when  the  assertion  that  lettuce  grown  in  Alaska  is 
the  most  delicious  in  the  world  is  made,  not  a  dissenting 
voice  is  heard. 

Along  the  coast,  seaweed  and  fish  guano  are  used  as 
fertilizers  ;  and  soil  at  the  mouth  of  a  stream  where 
there  is  silt  is  most  desirable  for  vegetables. 

In  southeastern  Alaska  and  along  the  coast  to  Kodiak, 
at  Fairbanks  and  Copper  Centre,  at  White  Horse,  Daw- 
son, Rampart,  Xanana,  Council  City,  Eagle,  and  other 
places  on  the  Yukon,  almost  all  kinds  of  vegetables, 
berries,  and  flowers  grow  luxuriantly  and  bloom  and  bear 
in  abundance.  One  turnip,  of  fine  flavor,  has  been  found 
sufficient  for  several  people. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  various  hot  springs,  even  corn, 
tomatoes,  and  muskmelons  were  successful  to  the  highest 
degree. 

On  the  Yukon  cabbages  form  fine  white,  solid  heads; 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  215 

cauliflower  is  unusually  fine  and  white  ;  beets  grow  to  a 
good  size,  are  tender,  sweet,  and  of  a  bright  red  ;  peas  are 
excellent ;  rhubarb,  parsley,  and  celery  were  in  many 
places  successful.  Onions  seem  to  prove  a  failure  in 
nearly  all  sections  of  the  country  ;  and  potatoes,  turnips, 
and  lettuce  are  the  prize  vegetables. 

Grain  growing  is  no  longer  attempted.  The  experiment 
made  by  the  government,  in  the  coast  region,  proved  en- 
tirely unsatisfactory.  It  will  usually  mature,  but  August, 
September,  and  October  are  so  rainy  that  it  is  not  possible 
to  save  the  crop.  It  is,  however,  grown  as  a  forage  crop, 
for  which  purpose  it  serves  excellently. 

The  numerous  small  valleys,  coves,  and  pockets  afford 
desirable  locations  for  gardens,  berries,  and  some  varieties 
of  fruit  trees. 

In  the  interior  encouraging  success  has  been  obtained 
with  grain.  The  experiments  at  Copper  Centre  have  not 
been  so  satisfactory  as  at  Rampart,  three  and  a  half  degrees 
farther  north,  on  the  Yukon. 

At  Copper  Centre  heavy  frosts  occur  as  early  as  August 
14  ;  while  at  Rampart  no  "  killing  "  frosts  have  been  known 
before  the  grain  had  ripened,  in  the  latter  part  of  August. 

Rampart  is  the  loveliest  settlement  on  the  Yukon,  with 
the  exception  of  Tanana.  Across  the  river  from  Rampart, 
the  green  fields  of  the  Experimental  Station  slope  down 
to  the  water.  The  experiments  carried  on  here  by  Super- 
intendent Rader,  under  the  general  supervision  of  Pro- 
fessor Georgeson  —  who  visits  the  stations  yearly — have 
been  very  satisfactory. 

Experimental  work  was  begun  at  Rampart  in  1900,  and 
grain  has  matured  there  every  year,  while  at  Copper 
Centre  only  one  crop  of  four  has  matured.  In  1906, 
owing  to  dry  weather,  the  growth  was  slow  until  the  mid- 
dle of  July  ;  from  that  date  on  to  the  latter  part  of 
August  there  were  frequent  rains,  causing  a  later  growth 


216        ALASKA :     THE    GREAT    COUNTS Y 

of  grain  thau  usual.  The  result  of  these  conditions  was 
that  when  the  first  "  killing "  frost  occurred,  the  grain 
was  still  growing,  and  all  plats,  save  those  seeded  earliest, 
were  spoiled  for  the  finer  purposes.  The  frosted  grain 
was,  however,  immediately  cut  for  hay,  twenty  tons  of 
w^hich  easily  sold  for  four  thousand,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  dollars. 

These  results  prove  that  even  where  grain  cannot  be 
grown  to  the  best  advantage,  it  may  be  profitably  grown 
for  hay.  For  the  latter  purpose  larger  growing  varieties 
would  be  sown,  which  would  produce  a  much  heavier  yield 
and  bring  larger  profits.  At  present  all  the  feed  consumed 
in  the  interior  by  the  horses  of  pack  trains  and  of  travel- 
lers is  hauled  in  from  tide-water,  —  a  hundred  miles,  at 
least,  and  frequently  two  or  three  times  as  far,  —  and 
two  hundred  dollars  a  ton  for  hay  is  a  low  price.  The 
actual  cost  of  hauling  a  ton  of  hay  from  Valdez  to  Cop- 
per Centre,  one  hundred  miles,  is  more  than  two  hundred 
dollars. 

Road-house  keepers  advertise  "  specially  low  "  rates  on 
hay  at  twenty  cents  a  pound,  the  ordinary  retail  price  at 
that  distance  from  tide-water  being  five  hundred  dollars 
a  ton. 

The  most  serious  drawback  to  the  advancement  of  agri- 
culture in  Alaska  is  the  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants.  Probably  not  fifty  people  could  be  found  in 
the  territory  who  went  there  for  the  purpose  of  making 
homes.  Now  and  then  a  lone  dreamer  of  dreams  may  be 
found  who  lives  there  —  or  who  would  gladly  live  there, 
if  he  might  —  only  for  the  beauty  of  it,  which  can  be  found 
nowhere  else  ;  and  which  will  soon  vanish  before  the 
brutal  tread  of  civilization. 

The  others  go  for  gold.  If  they  do  not  expect  to  dig 
it  out  of  the  earth  themselves,  they  plan  and  scheme  to 
get  it  out  of  those  who  have  so  acquired  it.     There  is 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  217 

no  scheme  that  has  not  been  worked  upon  Alaska  and  the 
real  workers  of  Alaska. 

The  schemers  go  there  to  get  gold  ;  honestly,  if  possible, 
but  to  get  gold  ;  to  live  "  from  hand  to  mouth,"  while 
they  are  there,  and  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible  and 
spend  their  gold  far  from  the  country  which  yielded  it. 
They  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  desire  to  do  anything 
toward  the  development  of  the  country  itself. 

Ex-Governor  John  G.  Brady  is  one  of  the  few  who 
have  devoted  their  lives  to  the  interest  and  the  up-build- 
ing of  Alaska. 

Thirty  years  ago  he  went  to  Alaska  and  established  his 
home  at  Sitka.  There  he  has  lived  all  these  years  with 
his  large  and  interesting  family  ;  there  he  still  lives. 

He  has  a  comfortable  home,  gardens  and  orchards  that 
leave  little  to  be  desired,  and  has  demonstrated  beyond 
all  doubt  that  the  man  who  wishes  to  establish  a  modern, 
comfortable  —  even  luxurious  —  home  in  Alaska,  can  ac- 
complish his  purpose  without  serious  hardship  to  his 
family,  however  delicate  the  members  thereof  may  be. 

The  Bradys  are  enthusiasts  and  authorities  on  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  Alaska. 

Governor  Brady  has  been  called  the  "  Rose  Governor  " 
of  Alaska,  because  of  his  genuine  admiration  for  this 
flower.  He  can  scarcely  talk  five  minutes  on  Alaska 
without  introducing  the  subject  of  roses  ;  and  no  enthusi- 
ast has  ever  talked  more  simply  and  charmingly  of  the 
roses  of  any  land  than  he  talks  of  the  roses  of  Alaska,  — 
the  cherished  ones  of  the  garden,  and  the  big  pink  ones 
of  Unalaska  and  the  Yukon. 

As  missionary  and  governor,  Mr.  Brady  has  devoted 
many  years  to  this  splendid  country  ;  and  the  distressful 
troubles  into  which  he  has  fallen  of  late,  through  no  fault 
of  his  own,  can  never  make  a  grateful  people  forget  his 
unselfish  work  for  the  upbuilding  and  the  civilization  of 
Alaska. 


218  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

To-day,  Sitka  is  idyllic.  Her  cIkuiu  is  too  poetic  and 
too  elusive  to  be  described  in  prose.  A  greater  contrast 
than  she  presents  to  such  hustling,  commercial  towns  as 
Juneau,  Valdez,  Cordova,  and  Katalla,  could  scarcely  be 
conceived.  To  drift  into  the  harbor  of  Sitka  is  like 
entering  another  world. 

The  Russian  influence  is  still  there,  after  all  these  years 
—  as  it  is  in  Kodiak  and  Unalaska. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

In  rough  weather,  steamers  bound  for  Sitka  from  the 
westward  frequently  enter  Cross  Sound  and  proceed  by 
way  of  Icy  Straits  and  Chatham  to  PeriL 

Icy  Straits  are  filled,  in  the  warmest  months,  with  ice- 
bergs floating  down  from  the  many  glaciers  to  the  north. 
Of  these  Muir  has  been  the  finest,  and  is  a  world-famous 
glacier,  owing  to  the  charming  descriptions  written  of  it 
by  Mr.  John  Muir.  For  several  years  it  was  the  chief 
object  of  interest  on  the  "tourist"  trip  ;  but  early  in  1900 
an  earthquake  shattered  its  beautiful  front  and  so  choked 
the  bay  with  immense  bergs  that  the  steamer  Spokane 
could  not  approach  closer  than  Marble  Island,  thirteen 
miles  from  the  front.  The  bergs  were  compact  and  filled 
the  whole  bay.  Since  that  time  excursion  steamers  have 
not  attempted  to  enter  Glacier  Bay. 

In  the  summer  of  1907,  however,  a  steamer  entered  the 
bay  and,  finding  it  free  of  ice,  approached  close  to  the 
famed  glacier  —  only  to  find  it  resembling  a  great  castle 
whose  towers  and  turrets  have  fallen  to  ruin  with  the  pass- 
ing of  years.  Where  once  shone  its  opaline  palisades  is 
now  but  a  field  of  crumpled  ice. 

There  are  no  less  than  seven  glaciers  discharging  into 
Glacier  Bay  and  sending  out  beautiful  bergs  to  drift  up 
and  down  Icy  Straits  with  the  tides  and  winds.  Rendu, 
Carroll,  Grand  Pacific,  Johns  Hopkins,  Hugh  Miller,  and 
Geikie  front  on  the  bay  or  its  narrow  inlets. 

219 


220  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Brady  Glacier  has  a  three-mile  frontage  on  Wimbledon, 
or  Taylor,  Bay,  which  opens  into  Icy  Straits. 

When,  on  her  mid-June  voyage  from  Seattle  in  1905, 
the  Santa  Ana  drew  out  and  away  from  Sitka,  and  turning 
with  a  wide  sweep,  went  drifting  slowly  through  the  maze 
of  green  islands  and  set  her  prow  "  to  Westward,"  one  of 
the  dreams  of  my  life  was  "  come  true." 

I  was  on  my  way  to  the  far,  lonely,  and  lovely  Aleutian 
Isles,  —  the  green,  green  isles  crested  with  fire  and  snow 
that  are  washed  on  the  north  by  the  waves  of  Behring 
Sea. 

It  was  a  violet  day.  There  were  no  warm  purpk  tones 
anywhere  ;  but  the  cool,  sparkling  violet  ones  that  mean 
the  nearness  of  mountains  of  snow.  One  could  almost 
feel  the  crisp  ting  of  ice  in  the  air,  and  smell  the  sunlight 
that  opalizes,  without  melting,  the  ice. 

Round  and  white,  with  the  sunken  nest  of  the  thunder- 
bird  on  its  crest,  Mount  Edgecumbe  rose  before  us ;  the 
pale  green  islands  leaned  apart  to  let  us  through ;  the  sea- 
birds,  white  and  lavender  and  rose-touched,  floated  with 
us ;  the  throb  of  the  steamer  was  like  a  pulse  beating  in 
one's  own  blood  ;  there  were  words  in  the  violet  light  that 
lured  us  on,  and  a  wild  sweet  song  in  the  waves  that 
broke  at  our  prow. 

"  There  can  be  nothing  more  beautiful  on  earth,"  I  said  ; 
but  I  did  not  know.  An  hour  came  soon  when  I  stood 
with  bared  head  and  could  not  speak  for  the  beauty  about 
me ;  when  the  speech  of  others  jarred  upon  me  like  an 
insult,  and  the  throb  of  the  steamer,  which  had  been  a 
sensuous  pleasure,  pierced  my  exaltation  like  a  blow. 

The  long  violet  day  of  delight  wore  away  at  last,  and 
night  came  on.  A  wild  wind  blew  from  the  southwest, 
and  the  mood  of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean  changed.  The 
ship  rolled  heavily ;  the  waves  broke  over  our  decks.     We 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  221 

could  see  them  coming  —  black,  bowing,  rimmed  with 
white.  Then  came  the  shock  —  followed  by  the  awful 
shudder  and  struggle  of  the  boat.  The  wind  was  terrific. 
It  beat  the  breath  back  into  the  breast. 

It  was  terrible  and  it  was  glorious.  Those  were  big 
moments  on  the  texas  of  the  /Santa  Ana  ;  they  were  worth 
living,  they  were  worth  while.  But  on  account  of  the 
storm,  darkness  fell  at  midnight ;  and  as  the  spray  was 
now  breaking  in  sheets  over  the  bridge  and  texas,  I  was 
assisted  to  my  cabin  —  drenched,  shivering,  hajDpy. 

"  Shut  your  door,"  said  the  captain,  "  or  you  will  be 
washed  out  of  your  bertli;  and  wait  till  to-morrow." 

I  wondered  what  he  meant,  but  before  I  could  ask  him, 
before  he  could  close  my  cabin  door,  a  great  sea  towered 
and  i3oised  for  an  instant  behind  him,  then  bowed  over  him 
and  carried  him  into  the  room.  It  drenched  the  whole 
room  and  everything  and  everybody  in  it ;  then  swept 
out  again  as  the  ship  rolled  to  starboard. 

My  travelling  companion  in  the  middle  berth  uttered 
such  sounds  as  I  had  never  heard  before  in  my  life,  and 
will  probably  never  hear  again  unless  it  be  in  the  North 
Pacific  Ocean  in  the  vicinity  of  Yakutat  or  Katalla.  She 
made  one  attempt  to  descend  to  the  floor ;  but  at  sight  of 
the  captain  who  was  struggling  to  take  a  polite  departure 
after  his  anything  but  polite  entrance,  she  uttered  the 
most  dreadful  sound  of  all  and  fell  back  into  her  berth. 

I  have  never  seen  any  intoxicated  man  teeter  and  lurch 
as  he  did,  trying  to  get  out  of  our  cabin.  I  sat  upon  the 
stool  where  I  had  been  washed  and  dashed  by  the  sea,  and 
laughed. 

He  made  it  at  last.  He  uttered  no  apologies  and  no 
adieux;  and  never  have  I  seen  a  man  so  openly  relieved 
to  escape  from  the  presence  of  ladies. 

I  closed  the  window.  Disrobing  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion.      I   could   neither   stand   nor   sit   without  holding 


222       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tightly  to  something  with  both  hands  for  support ;  and 
when  I  had  kiin  down,  I  found  that  I  must  hold  to  both 
sides  of  the  berth  to  keep  myself  in. 

"  Serves  you  right,"  complained  the  occupant  of  the 
middle  berth,  "  for  staying  up  on  the  texas  until  such  an 
unearthly  hour.  I'm  glad  you  can't  undress.  Maybe 
you'll  come  in  at  a  decent  hour  after  this!  " 

It  is  small  wonder  that  Behring  and  Chirikoff  disagreed 
and  drifted  apart  in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean.  It  is  my 
belief  that  two  angels  would  quarrel  if  shut  up  in  a  state- 
room in  a  "  Yakutat  blow  "  —  than  which  only  a  "  Yakataga 
blow  "  is  worse ;  and  it  comes  later. 

I  am  convinced,  after  three  summers  spent  in  voyaging 
along  the  Alaskan  coast  to  Nome  and  down  the  Yukon, 
that  quarrelling  with  one's  room-mate  on  a  long  voyage 
aids  digestion.  My  room-mate  and  I  have  never  agreed 
upon  any  other  subject ;  but  upon  this,  we  are  as  one. 

Neither  effort  nor  exertion  is  required  to  begin  a 
quarrel.  It  is  only  necessary  to  ask  with  some  querulous- 
ness,  "Are  you  going  to  stand  before  that  mirror  all 
dayV  and  hey,  presto!  we  are  instantly  at  it  with  ham- 
mer and  tongs. 

Toward  daylight  the  storm  grew  too  terrible  for  further 
quarrelling;  too  big  for  all  little  petty  human  passions. 
A  coward  would  have  become  a  man  in  the  face  of  such  a 
conflict.  I  have  never  understood  how  one  can  com- 
mit a  cowardly  act  during  a  storm  at  sea.  One  may  dance 
a  hornpipe  of  terror  on  a  public  street  when  a  man  thrusts 
a  revolver  into  one's  face  and  demands  one's  money. 
That  is  a  little  thing,  and  inspires  to  little  sensations  and 
little  actions.  But  when  a  ship  goes  down  into  a  black  hol- 
low of  the  sea,  down,  down,  so  low  that  it  seems  as  though 
she  must  go  on  to  the  lowest,  deepest  depth  of  all  —  and 
then  lies  still,  shudders,  and  begins  to  mount,  higher, 
higher,  higher,  to  the  very  crest  of  a  mountainous  wave;  if 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  223 

God  put  anything  at  all  of  courage  and  of  bravery  into 
the  soul  of  the  human  being  that  experiences  this,  it  comes 
to  the  front  now,  if  ever. 

In  that  most  needlessly  cruel  of  all  the  ocean  disasters 
of  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  wreck  of  the  Valencia  on  Seabird 
Reef  of  the  rock-ribbed  coast  of  Vancouver  Island,  more 
than  a  hundred  people  clung  to  the  decks  and  rigging  in 
a  freezing  storm  for  thirty-six  hours.  There  was  a  young 
girl  on  the  ship  who  was  travelling  alone.  A  young  man, 
an  athlete,  of  Victoria,  who  had  never  met  her  before, 
assisted  her  into  the  rigging  when  the  decks  were  all 
awash,  and  protected  her  there.  On  the  last  day  before 
the  ship  went  to  pieces,  two  life-rafts  were  successfully 
launched.  Only  a  few  could  go,  and  strong  men  were 
desired  to  manage  the  rafts.  The  young  man  in  the 
rigging  might  have  been  saved,  for  the  ones  who  did  go 
on  the  raft  were  the  only  ones  rescued.  But  when  sum- 
moned, he  made  simple  answer  :  — 

"No;  I  have  some  one  here  to  care  for,     I  will  stay." 

Better  to  be  that  brave  man's  wave-battered  and  fish- 
eaten  corpse,  than  any  living  coward  who  sailed  away  and 
left  those  desperate,  struggling  wretches  to  their  awful 
fate. 

The  storm  died  slowly  with  the  night;  and  at  last  we 
could  sleep. 

It  was  noon  when  we  once  more  got  ourselves  up  on 
deck.  The  sun  shone  like  gold  upon  the  sea,  which 
stretched,  dimpling,  away  for  hundreds  upon  hundreds 
of  miles,  to  the  south  and  west.  I  stood  looking  across 
it  for  some  time,  lost  in  thought,  but  at  last  something 
led  me  to  the  other  side  of  the  ship. 

All  unprepared,  I  lifted  my  eyes  —  and  beheld  before 
me  the  glory  and  the  marvel  of  God.  In  all  the  splendor 
of  the  drenched  sunlight,  straight  out  of  the  violet, 
sparkling  sea,   rose  the  magnificent  peaks  of  the    Fair- 


224  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

weather  Range  and  towered  against  the  sky.  No  great 
snow  mountains  rising  from  the  land  have  ever  affected 
me  as  did  that  long  and  noble  chain  glistening  out  of  the 
sea.  They  seemed  fairly  to  thunder  their  beauty  to  the 
sky. 

From  INIount  Edgecumbe  there  is  no  significant  break 
in  the  mountain  range  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles ; 
it  is  a  stretch  of  sublime  beauty  that  has  no  parallel. 
The  Fairweather  Range  merges  into  the  St.  Elias  Alps ; 
the  Alps  are  followed  successively  by  the  Chugach  Alps, 
the  Kenai  and  Alaskan  ranges,  —  the  latter  of  which 
holds  tlie  loftiest  of  them  all,  the  superb  Mount  McKinley, 
—  and  the  Aleutian  Range,  which  extends  to  the  end  of 
the  Aliaska  Peninsula.  The  volcanoes  on  the  Aleutian 
and  Kurile  islands  complete  the  ring  of  snow  and  fire 
that  circles  around  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


CHAPTER   XX 

Our  sliip  having  been  delayed  by  the  storm,  it  was 
mid-afternoon  when  we  reached  Yakutat.  A  vast  pla- 
teau borders  the  ocean  from  Cross  Sound,  north  of  Bara- 
noff  and  Chicagoff  islands,  to  Yakutat ;  and  out  of  this 
plateau  rise  four  great  snow  peaks  —  Mount  La  Perouse, 
Mount  Crillon,  Mount  Lituya,  and  Mount  Fairweather  — 
ranging  in  height  from  ten  thousand  to  fifteen  thousand 
nine  hundred  feet. 

In  all  this  stretch  there  are  but  two  bays  of  any  size, 
Lituya  and  Dry,  and  they  have  only  historical  impor- 
tance. 

Lituya  Bay  was  described  minutely  by  La  Perouse, 
who  spent  some  time  there  in  1786  in  his  two  vessels,  the 
Astrolabe  and  Boussole. 

The  entrance  to  this  bay  is  exceedingly  dangerous  ;  the 
tide  enters  in  a  bore,  which  can  only  be  run  at  slack  tide. 
La  Perouse  lost  two  boatloads  of  men  in  this  bore,  on 
the  eve  of  his  departure,  —  a  loss  which  he  describes  at 
length  and  with  much  feeling. 

Before  finally  departing,  he  caused  to  be  erected  a  monu- 
ment to  the  memory  of  the  lost  officers  and  crew  on  a 
small  island  which  he  named  Cenotaphe,  or  Monument, 
Isle.  A  bottle  containing  a  full  account  of  the  disaster 
and  the  names  of  the  twenty-one  men  was  buried  at  the 
foot  of  the  monument. 

La  Perouse  named  this  bay  Port  des  Frangais. 

The  chronicles  of  this  modest  French  navigator  seem, 
Q  225 


226  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

somehow,  to  stand  apart  from  those  of  the  other  early 
voyagers.  Tliere  is  an  appearance  of  truth  and  of  fine 
feeling  in  them  that  does  not  appear  in  all. 

He  at  first  attempted  to  enter  Yakutat  Bay,  which  he 
called  the  Bay  of  Monti,  in  honor  of  the  commandant 
of  an  exploring  expedition  which  he  sent  out  in  advance  ; 
but  the  sea  was  breaking  with  such  violence  upon  the 
beach  that  he  abandoned  the  attempt. 

He  described  the  savages  of  Lituya  Bay  as  treacherous 
and  thievish.  They  surrounded  the  ships  in  canoes,  offer- 
ing to  exchange  fresh  fish  and  otter  skins  for  iron,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  only  article  desired,  although  glass  beads 
found  some  small  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  women. 

La  Perouse  supposed  himself  to  be  the  first  discoverer 
of  this  bay.  The  Russians,  however,  had  been  there  years 
before. 

The  savages  appeared  to  be  worshippers  of  the  sun. 
La  Perouse  pronounced  the  bay  itself  to  be  the  most  ex- 
traordinary spot  on  the  whole  earth.  It  is  a  great  basin, 
the  middle  of  which  is  unfathomable,  surrounded  by  snow 
peaks  of  great  height.  During  all  the  time  that  he  was 
there,  he  never  saw  a  puff  of  wind  ruffle  the  surface  of 
the  water,  nor  was  it  ever  disturbed,  save  by  the  fall  of 
masses  of  ice  which  were  discharged  from  five  different 
glaciers  with  a  thunderous  noise  which  reechoed  from  the 
farthest  recesses  of  the  surrounding  mountains.  The  air 
was  so  tranquil  and  the  silence  so  undisturbed  that  the 
human  voice  and  the  cries  of  sea-birds  lying  among  the 
rocks  were  heard  at  the  distance  of  half  a  league. 

The  climate  was  found  to  be  '■'•  infinitely  milder  "  than 
that  of  Hudson  Bay  of  the  same  latitude.  Vegetation 
was  extremely  vigorous,  pines  measuring  six  feet  in  di- 
ameter and  rising  to  a  height  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet. 

Celery,    sorrel,    lupines,    wild    peas,    yarrow,    chicory, 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  227 

angelica,  violets,  and  many  varieties  of  grass  were  found 
in  abundance,  and  were  used  in  soups  and  salads,  as 
remedies  for  scurvy. 

Strawberries,  raspberries,  gooseberries,  the  elder,  the 
willow,  and  the  broom  were  found  then  as  they  are  to- 
day. Trout  and  salmon  were  taken  in  the  streams,  and 
in  the  bay,  halibut. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  La  Perouse  was  not  strong- 
on  birds ;  for  in  the  copses  he  heard  singing  "  linnets, 
nightingales^  blackbirds,  and  water  quails,"  whose  songs 
were  very  agreeable.  It  was  July,  which  he  called  the 
"pairing-time."  He  found  one  very  fine  blue  jay;  and 
it  is  surprising  that  he  did  not  hear  it  sing. 

For  the  savages  —  especially  the  women  —  the  fas- 
tidious Frenchman  entertained  feelings  of  disgust  and 
horror.  He  could  discover  no  virtues  or  traits  in  them 
to  praise,  conscientiously  though  he  tried. 

They  lived  in  the  same  kind  of  habitations  that  all  the 
early  explorers  found  along  the  coast  of  Alaska:  large 
buildings  consisting  of  one  room,  twenty-five  by  twenty 
feet,  or  larger.  Fire  was  kindled  in  the  middle  of  these 
rooms  on  the  earth  floor.  Over  it  was  suspended  fish 
of  several  kinds  to  be  smoked.  There  was  always  a  large 
hole  in  the  roof  —  when  there  was  a  roof  at  all  —  to 
receive  the  smoke. 

About  twenty  persons  of  both  sexes  dwelt  in  each  of 
these  houses.  Their  habits,  customs,  and  relations  were 
indescribably  disgusting  and  indecent. 

Their  houses  were  more  loathsome  and  vile  of  odor 
than  the  den  of  any  beast.  Even  at  the  present  time  in 
some  of  the  native  villages — notably  Belkoffski  on  the 
Aliaskan  Peninsula  —  all  the  most  horrible  odors  ever 
experienced  in  civilization,  distilled  into  one,  could  not 
equal  the  stench  with  which  the  natives  and  their  habi- 
tations   reek.     As  their  customs  are  somewhat  cleanlier 


228  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

now  than  tliey  were  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago,  and 
as  upon  this  one  point  all  the  early  navigators  forcibly 
agree,  we  may  well  conclude  that  they  did  not  exaggerate. 

The  one  room  was  used  for  eating,  sleeping,  cooking, 
smoking  fish,  washing  their  clothes  —  in  their  cooking 
and  eating  wooden  utensils,  by  the  way,  which  are  never 
cleansed  —  and  for  the  habitation  of  their  dogs. 

The  men  pierced  the  cartilage  of  the  nose  and  ears  for 
the  wearing  of  ornaments  of  shell,  iron,  or  other  material. 
They  filed  their  teeth  down  even  with  the  gums  with  a 
piece  of  rough  stone.  The  men  painted  their  faces  and 
other  parts  of  their  bodies  in  a  "  frightful  manner  "  with 
ochre,  lamp-black,  and  black  lead,  mixed  with  the  oil  of 
the  "sea-wolf."  Their  hair  was  frequently  greased  and 
dressed  with  the  down  of  sea-birds ;  the  women's,  also. 
A. plain  skin  covered  the  shoulders  of  the  men,  while  the 
rest  of  the  body  was  left  entirely  naked. 

The  women  filled  the  Frenchman  with  a  lively  horror. 
The  labret  in  the  lower  lip,  or  ladle,  as  he  termed  it,  wore 
unbearably  upon  his  fine  nerves.  He  considered  that  the 
whole  world  would  not  afford  another  custom  equally 
revolting  and  disgusting.  When  the  ornament  was  re- 
moved, the  lower  lip  fell  down  upon  the  chin,  and  this 
second  picture  was  more  hideous  than  the  first. 

The  gallant  Captain  Dixon,  on  his  voyage  a  year  later, 
was  more  favorably  impressed  with  the  women.  He 
must  have  worn  rose-colored  glasses.  He  describes  their 
habits  and  habitations  almost  as  La  Perouse  did,  but  uses 
no  expression  of  disgust  or  horror.  He  describes  the 
women  as  being  of  medium  size,  having  straight,  well- 
shaped  limbs.  They  painted  their  faces  ;  but  he  pre- 
vailed upon  one  woman  by  persuasion  and  presents  to 
wash  her  face  and  hands.  Whereupon  "  her  countenance 
had  all  the  cheerful  glow  of  an  English  milkmaid's ;  and 
the  healthy  red  which  suffused  her  cheeks  was  even  beau- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  229 

tifiiUy  contrasted  with  the  white  of  her  neck ;  her  eyes 
were  bhick  and  sparkling ;  her  eyebrows  of  the  same 
color  and  most  beautifully  arched;  her  forehead  so  re- 
markably clear  that  the  translucent  veins  were  seen 
meandering  even  in  their  minutest  branches  —  in  short, 
she  would  be  considered  handsome  even  in  England." 
The  worst  adjectives  he  applied  to  the  labret  were 
"singular"  and  "curious." 

Don  Maurello  and  other  navigators  found  now  and  then 
a  woman  who  might  compete  with  the  beauties  of  Spain 
and  other  lands ;  but  none  shared  the  transports  of  Dixon, 
who  idealized  their  virtues  and  condoned  their  faults. 

Tebenkof  located  two  immense  glaciers  in  the  bay  of 
Lituya,  one  in  each  arm,  describing  them  briefly  :  — 

"  The  icebergs  fall  from  the  mountains  and  float  over 
the  waters  of  the  bay  throughout  the  year.  Nothing 
disturbs  the  deep  silence  of  this  terribly  grand  gorge  of 
the  mountains  but  the  thunder  of  the  falling  icebergs." 

La  Perouse  found  enormous  masses  of  ice  detaching 
themselves  from  five  different  glaciers.  The  water  was 
covered  with  icebergs,  and  nearness  to  the  shore  was 
exceedingly  dangerous.  His  small  boat  was  upset  half  a 
mile  from  shore  by  a  mass  of  ice  falling  from  a  glacier. 

Mr.  Muir  describes  La  Perouse  Glacier  as  presenting 
grand  ice  bluffs  to  the  open  ocean,  into  which  it  occa- 
sionally discharged  bergs. 

All  agree  that  the  appearance  and  surroundings  of  the 
bay  are  extraordinary. 

Yakutat  Bay  is  two  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  from 
Sitka.  It  was  called  Behring  Bay  by  Cook  and  Van- 
couver, who  supposed  it  to  be  the  bay  in  which  the  Dane 
anchored  in  1741.  It  was  named  Admiralty  Bay  by 
Dixon,  and  the  Bay  of  JNIonti  by  La  Perouse.  The  In- 
dian name  is  the  only  one  which  has  been  preserved. 


230  ALASKA:    THE    GliEAT    COUNTRY 

It  is  so  peculiarly  situated  that  although  several  islands 
lie  in  front  of  it,  the  full  force  of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean 
sweeps  into  it.  At  most  seasons  of  the  year  it  is  full  of 
floating  ice  which  drifts  down  from  the  glaciers  of  Dis- 
enchantment Bay. 

At  the  point  on  the  southern  side  of  the  bay  which 
Dixon  named  Mulgrave,  and  where  there  is  a  fine  harbor, 
Barauoff  established  a  colony  of  Siberian  convicts  about 
1796.  His  instructions  from  Shelikoff  for  the  laying-out 
of  a  city  in  such  a  wilderness  make  interesting  reading. 

"  And  now  it  only  remains  for  us  to  hope  that,  having 
selected  on  the  mainland  a  suitable  place,  you  will  lay  out 
the  settlement  with  some  taste  and  with  due  regard  for 
beauty  of  construction,  in  order  that  when  visits  are 
made  by  foreign  ships,  as  cannot  fail  to  happen,  it  may 
appear  more  like  a  town  than  a  village,  and  that  the 
Russians  in  America  may  live  in  a  neat  and  orderly  way, 
and  not,  as  in  Ohkotsk,  in  squalor  and  misery,  caused  by 
the  absence  of  nearly  everything  necessary  to  civilization. 
Use  taste  as  well  as  practical  judgment  in  locating  the 
settlement.  Look  to  beauty,  as  well  as  to  convenience  of 
material  and  supplies.  On  the  plans,  as  well  as  in  reality, 
leave  room  for  spacious  squares  for  public  assemblies. 
Make  the  streets  not  too  long,  but  wide,  and  let  them 
radiate  from  the  squares.  If  the  site  is  wooded,  let  trees 
enough  stand  to  line  the  streets  and  to  fill  the  gardens, 
in  order  to  beautify  the  place  and  preserve  a  healthy  atmos- 
phere. Build  the  houses  along  the  streets,  but  at  some  dis- 
tance from  each  other,  in  order  to  increase  the  extent  of  the 
town.  The  roofs  should  be  of  equal  height,  and  the  archi- 
tecture as  uniform  as  possible.  The  gardens  should  be 
of  equal  size  and  provided  with  good  fences  along  the 
streets.  Thanks  be  to  God  that  you  will  at  least  have 
no  lack  of  timber." 

In  the  same  letter  poor  Baranoff  was  reproached  for 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  231 

exchanging  visits  with  captains  of  foreign  vessels,  and 
warned  that  he  might  be  carried  off  to  California  or  some 
other  "  desolate  "  place. 

The  colony  of  convicts  had  been  intended  as  an  "  agri- 
cultural "  settlement ;  but  the  bleak  location  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  St.  Elias  made  a  farce  of  the  undertakinsf. 
The  site  had  been  chosen  by  a  mistake.  A  post  and  for- 
tifications were  erected,  but  it  is  not  chronicled  that 
Shelikoff's  instructions  were  carried  out.  There  was 
great  mortality  among  the  colonists  and  their  families, 
and  constant  danger  of  attack  by  the  Kolosh.  Finally, 
in  1805,  the  fort  and  settlement  were  entirely  destroyed 
by  their  cruel  and  revengeful  enemies. 

The  new  town  of  Yakutat  is  three  or  four  miles  from 
the  old  settlement.  There  is  a  good  wharf  at  the  foot  of 
a  commanding  plateau,  which  is  a  good  site  for  a  city. 
On  the  wharf  are  a  saw-mill  and  cannery.  A  stiff  climb 
along  a  forest  road  brings  one  to  a  store,  several  other 
business  houses,  and  a  few  residences. 

There  are  good  coal  veins  in  the  vicinity.  The  Yakutat 
and  Southern  Railway  leads  several  miles  into  the  interior, 
and  handles  a  great  deal  of  timber. 

In  1794  Puget  sailed  the  Chatham  through  the  narrow 
channel  between  the  mainland  and  the  islands,  leading  to 
Port  Mulgrave  —  where  Portoff  was  established  in  a  tent 
with  nine  of  his  countrymen  and  several  hundred  Kadiak 
natives.  He  found  the  channel  narrow  and  dangerous  ; 
his  vessel  grounded,  but  was  successfully  floated  at  re- 
turning tide.  Passage  to  Mulgrave  was  found  easy, 
however,  by  a  channel  farther  to  the  westward  and 
southward. 

In  this  bay,  as  in  nearly  all  other  localities  on  the 
Northwest  Coast,  the  Indians  coming  out  to  visit  them 
paddled  around  the  ship  two  or  three  times  singing  a 
ceremonious  song,  before  offering  to  come  aboard.     They 


232  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

gladly  exchanged  bows,  arrows,  darts,  spears,  fish-gigs  — 
whatever  they  may  be  —  kamelaykas,  or  walrus-gut  coats, 
and  needlework  for  white  shirts,  collars,  cravats,  and 
other  wearing  apparel. 

An  Indian  chief  stole  Mr,  Puget's  gold  watch  chain 
and  seals  from  his  cabin;  but  it  was  discovered  by  Portoff 
and  returned. 

The  cape  extending  into  the  ocean  south  of  the  town 
was  the  Cape  Phipps  of  the  Russians.  It  has  long  been 
known,  however,  as  Ocean  Cape.  Cape  Manby  is  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  bay. 

Sailing  up  Yakutat  Bay,  the  Bay  of  Disenchantment  is 
entered  and  continues  for  sixty  miles,  when  it  merges  into 
Russell  Fiord,  which  bends  sharply  to  the  south  and  al- 
most reaches  the  ocean. 

Enchantment  Bay  would  be  a  more  appropriate  name. 
The  scenery  is  of  varied,  magnificent,  and  ever  increasing 
beauty.  The  climax  is  reached  in  Russell  Fiord  —  named 
for  Professor  Russell,  who  explored  it  in  a  canoe  in  1891. 

From  Yakutat  Bay  to  the  very  head  of  Russell  Fiord 
supreme  splendor  of  scenery  is  encountered,  surpassing  the 
most  vaunted  of  the  Old  World.  Within  a  few  miles,  one 
passes  from  luxuriant  forestation  to  lovely  lakes,  lacy 
cascades,  bits  of  green  valley;  and  then,  of  a  sudden,  all 
unprepared,  into  the  most  sublime  snow-mountain  fast- 
nesses imaginable,  surrounded  by  glaciers  and  many  of 
the  most  majestic  mountain  peaks  of  the  world. 

Cascades  spring,  foaming,  down  from  misty  heights, 
and  flowers  bloom,  large  and  brilliant,  from  the  water  to 
the  line  of  snow. 

Malaspina,  an  Italian  in  the  service  of  Spain,  named 
Disenchantment  Bay.  Turner  Glacier  and  the  vast  Hub- 
bard Glacier  discharge  into  this  bay;  and  from  the  re- 
ports of  the  Italian,  Tabenkoff,  and  Vancouver,  it  has 
been  considered  possible  that  the  two  glaciers  may  have 


ALAiSKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  233 

reached,  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  across  the  nar- 
rowest bend  at  the  head  of  Yakutat  Bay. 

The  fiord  is  so  narrow  that  the  tops  of  the  high  snow 
mountains  have  the  appearance  of  overhanging  their 
bases ;  and  to  the  canoeist  floating  down  the  slender, 
translucent  water-way,  this  effect  adds  to  the  austerity  of 
the  scene. 

Captains  of  regular  steamers  are  frequently  offered 
good  prices  to  make  a  side  trip  up  Yakutat  Bay  to  the 
beginning  of  Disenchantment;  but  owing  to  the  dangers 
of  its  comparatively  uncharted  waters,  they  usually  de- 
cline with  vigor. 

One  who  would  penetrate  into  this  exquisitely  beauti- 
ful, lone,  and  enchanted  region  must  trust  himself  to  a 
long  canoe  voyage  and  complete  isolation  from  his  kind. 
But  what  recompense  —  what  life-rememberable  joy! 

Each  country  has  its  spell;  but  none  is  so  great  as  the 
spell  of  this  lone  and  splendid  land.  It  is  too  sacred  for 
any  light  word  of  pen  or  lip.  The  spell  of  Alaska  is  the 
spell  of  God;  and  it  holds  all  save  the  basest,  whether 
they  acknowledge  it  or  deny.  Here  are  sphinxes  and 
pyramids  built  of  century  upon  century's  snow ;  the 
pale  green  thunder  of  the  cataract ;  the  roar  of  the  ava- 
lanche and  the  glacier's  compelling  march;  the  flow  of 
mighty  rivers  ;  the  unbroken  silences  that  swim  from 
snow  mountain  to  snow  mountain;  and  the  rose  of  sunset 
whose  petals  float  and  fade  upon  mountain  and  sea. 

As  one  sails  past  these  mountains  days  upon  days,  they 
seem  to  lean  apart  and  withdraw  in  pearly  aloofness, 
that  others  more  beautiful  and  more  remote  may  dawn 
upon  the  enraptured  beholder's  sight.  For  hundreds  of 
miles  up  and  down  the  coast,  and  for  hundreds  into  the 
interior,  they  rise  in  full  view  from  the  ocean  which 
breaks  upon  the  nearer  ones.  At  sunrise  and  at  sunset 
each   is   wrapped   in   a    different  color  from  the   others, 


234  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

each  in  its  own  liglit,  its  own  glory  —  caused  by  its  own 
peculiar  shape  and  its  position  among  the  others. 

While  the  steamer  lies  at  Yakutat  passengers  may,  if 
they  desire,  walk  through  the  forest  to  the  old  village, 
where  there  is  an  ancient  Thlinkit  settlement.  There 
is  a  new  one  at  the  new  town.  The  tents  and  cabins 
climb  picturesquely  among  the  trees  and  ferns  from  the 
water  up  a  steep  hill. 

In  1880  there  was  a  great  gold  excitement  at  Yakutat. 
Gold  was  discovered  in  the  black-sand  beaches.  A 
number  of  mining  camps  were  there  until  the  late 
'eighties,  and  by  the  use  of  rotary  hand  amalgamators, 
men  were  able  to  clean  up  forty  dollars  a  day. 

The  bay  was  flooded  by  a  tidal  wave  which  left  the 
beach  covered  with  fish.  The  oil  dej)osited  by  their 
decay  prevented  the  action  of  the  mercury,  and  the  camp 
was  abandoned. 

The  sea  is  now  restoring  the  black  sand,  and  a  second 
Nome  may  one  day  spring  up  on  these  hills  in  a  single 
night. 

As  I  have  said  elsewhere,  the  Yakutat  women  are 
among  the  finest  basket  weavers  of  the  coast.  A  finely 
twined  Yakutat  basket,  however  small  it  may  be,  is  a 
prize;  but  the  bottom  should  be  woven  as  finely  and 
as  carefully  as  the  body  of  the  basket.  Some  of  the 
younger  weavers  make  haste  by  weaving  the  bottom 
coarsely,  which  detracts  from  both  its  artistic  and  com- 
mercial value. 

The  instant  the  end  of  the  gangway  touches  the  wharf 
at  Yakutat,  the  gayly-clad,  dark-eyed  squaws  swarm 
aboard.  They  settle  themselves  noiselessly  along  the 
promenade  decks,  disposing  their  baskets,  bracelets, 
carved  horn  spoons,  totem-poles,  inlaid  lamps,  and  beaded 
moccasins  about  them. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  235 

If,  during  the  hours  of  animated  barter  that  follow, 
one  or  two  of  the  women  should  disappear,  the  wise 
woman-passenger  will  saunter  around  the  ship  and  take 
a  look  into  her  stateroom,  to  make  sure  that  all  is  well; 
else,  when  she  does  return  to  it,  she  may  miss  silver- 
backed  mirrors,  bottles  of  lavender  water,  bits  of  jewellery 
that  may  have  been  carelessly  left  in  sight,  pretty  collars 
—  and  even  waists  and  hats  —  to  say  nothing  of  the 
things  which  she  may  later  on  find. 

These  poor  dark  people  were  born  thieves  ;  and  neither 
the  little  education  they  have  received,  nor  the  treatment 
accorded  them  by  the  majority  of  white  people  with 
whom  they  have  been  brought  into  contact,  has  served 
to  wean  them  entirely  from  the  habits  and  the  instincts 
of  centuries. 

At  Yakutat,  no  matter  how  much  good  sound  sense 
he  may  possess,  the  traveller  i^arts  with  many  large 
silver  dollars.  He  thinks  of  Christmas,  and  counts  his 
friends  on  one  hand,  then  on  the  other;  then  over  again, 
on  both. 

When  the  steamer  has  whistled  for  the  sixth  time  to 
call  in  the  wandering  passengers,  and  the  captain  is  on  the 
bridge;  when  the  last  squaw  has  pigeon-toed  herself  up 
the  gangway,  flirting  her  gay  shawl  around  her  and 
chuckling  and  clucking  over  the  gullibility  of  the  inno- 
cent white  people;  when  the  last  strain  from  the  phono- 
graph in  the  big  store  on  the  hill  has  died  across  the 
violet  water  widening  between  the  shore  and  the  with- 
drawing ship  —  the  spendthrift  passenger  retires  to  his 
cabin  and  finds  the  berths  overflowing  and  smelling  to 
heaven  with  Indian  things.  Then  —  too  late  —  he  sits 
down,  anywhere,  and  reflects. 

The  western  shore  of  Yakutat  Bay  is  bounded  by  the 
largest  glacier  in  the  world  —  the  Malaspina.  It  has  a 
sea-frontage  of  more  than  sixty  miles  extending  from  the 


236  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

bay  "  to  Westward'";  and  the  length  of  its  splendid  sweep 
from  its  head  to  the  sea  at  the  foot  of  Mount  St.  Elias 
is  ninety  miles. 

For  one  whole  day  the  majestic  mountain  and  its 
beautiful  companion  peaks  were  in  sight  of  the  steamer, 
before  the  next  range  came  into  view.  The  sea  breaks 
sheer  upon  the  ice-palisades  of  the  glacier.  Icebergs, 
pale  green,  j)ale  blue,  and  rose-colored,  march  out  to 
meet  and,  bowing,  pass  the  ship. 

One  cannot  say  that  he  knows  what  beauty  is  until  he 
has  cruised  leisurely  past  this  glacier,  with  the  mountains 
rising  behind  it,  on  a  clear  day,  followed  by  a  moonlit 
night. 

On  one  side  are  miles  on  miles  of  violet  ocean  sweeping 
away  into  limitless  space,  a  fleck  of  sunlight  flashing  like 
a  fire-fly  in  every  hollowed  wave;  on  the  other,  miles  on 
miles  of  glistening  ice,  crowned  by  peaks  of  softest  snow. 

At  sunset  warm  purple  mists  drift  in  and  settle  over 
the  glacier;  above  these  float  banks  of  deepest  rose; 
through  both,  and  above  them,  glimmer  the  mountains 
pearlily,  in  a  remote  loveliness  that  seems  not  of  earth. 

But  by  moonlight  to  see  the  glacier  streaming  down 
from  the  mountains  and  out  into  the  ocean,  into  the  mid- 
night —  silent,  opaline,  majestic  —  is  worth  ten  years  of 
dull,  ordinary  living. 

It  is  as  if  the  very  face  of  God  shone  through  the 
silence  and  the  sublimity  of  the  night. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

There  is  an  open  roadstead  at  Yaktag,  or  Yakataga. 
The  ship  anchors  several  miles  from  shore  —  when  the 
fierce  storms  which  prevail  in  this  vicinity  will  permit  it 
to  anchor  at  all  —  and  passengers  and  freight  are  light- 
ered ashore. 

I  have  seen  horses  hoisted  from  the  deck  in  their 
wooden  cages  and  dropped  into  the  sea,  where  they  were 
liberated.  After  their  first  frightened,  furious  plunges, 
they  headed  for  the  shore,  and  started  out  bravely  on  their 
long  swim.  The  surf  was  running  high,  and  for  a  time  it 
seemed  that  they  could  not  escape  being  dashed  upon  the 
rocks;  but  with  unerring  instinct,  they  struggled  away 
from  one  rocky  place  after  another  until  they  reached  a 
strip  of  smooth  sand  up  which  they  were  borne  by  the 
breaking  sea,  and  where  they  fell  for  a  few  moments,  ex- 
hausted. Then  they  arose,  staggered,  threw  up  their  heads 
and  ran  as  I  have  never  seen  horses  run  —  with  such  wild- 
ness,  such  gladness,  such  utterance  of  the  joy  of  freedom 
in  the  fling  of  their  legs,  in  the  streaming  of  mane  and  tail. 

They  had  been  penned  in  a  narrow  stall  under  the  for- 
ward deck  for  twelve  days;  they  had  been  battered  by 
the  storms  and  unable  to  lie  down  and  rest;  they  had  been 
plunged  from  this  condition  unexpectedly  into  the  ocean 
and  compelled  to  strike  out  on  a  long  swim  for  their  lives. 

The  sudden  knowledge  of  freedom;  the  smell  of  sun 
and  air;  the  very  sweet  of  life  itself — all  combined  to 
make  them  almost  frantic  in  the  animal  expression  of  their 

joy. 

237 


238  ALASKA:    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRT 

We  put  down  the  powerful  glasses  with  which  we  had 
painfully  watched  every  yard  of  their  progress  toward  the 
land. 

I  looked  at  the  pilot.  There  was  a  moisture  in  his  eyes, 
which  was  not  entirely  a  reflection  of  that  in  my  own. 

It  is  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  from  Yakutat  to 
Kayak.  Off  this  stretch  of  coast,  between  Lituya  and 
Cape  Suckling,  the  soundings  are  moderate  and  by  whalers 
have  long  been  known  as  "  Fairweather  Grounds." 

Just  before  reaching  Kayak,  Cape  Suckling  is 
passed. 

The  point  of  this  cape  is  low.  It  runs  up  into  a  con- 
siderable hill,  which,  in  turn,  sinking  to  very  low  land  has 
the  appearance  of  an  island.      It  was  named  by  Cook. 

Around  this  cape  lies  Comptroller  Bay  —  the  bay  which 
should  have  been  named  Behring's  Bay.  It  was  on  the 
two  islands  at  its  entrance  that  Behring  landed  in  1741. 
He  named  one  St.  Elias;  and  to  this  island  Cook,  in  1778, 
gave  the  name  of  Kaye,  for  the  excellent  reason  that  the 
"  Reverend  Doctor  Kaye  "  gave  him  two  silver  two-penny 
pieces  of  the  date  of  1772,  which  he  buried  in  a  bottle  on 
the  island,  together  with  the  names  of  his  ships  and  the 
date  of  discovery. 

Unhap]Hly  this  immortal  island  retains  the  name  which 
Cook  lightly  bestowed  upon  it,  instead  of  the  name  given 
it  by  the  illustrious  Dane.  It  is  now,  however,  more  fre- 
quently known  as  Wingham  Island,  The  settlement  of 
Kayak  is  upon  it.  The  southern  extremity  of  the  larger 
island  retains  the  name  St.  Elias  for  the  splendid  headland 
that  plunges  boldly  and  challengingly  out  into  the  sea.  It 
is  a  magnificent  sight  in  a  storm,  when  sea-birds  are  shriek- 
ing over  it  and  a  powerful  surf  is  breaking  upon  its  base. 
At  all  times  it  is  a  striking  landmark. 

I  have  been  to  Kayak  four  times.  Landings  have  always 
been   made  by  passengers  in  dories   or  in  tiny  launches 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  289 

which  come  out  from  the  settlement,  and  which  bob  up 
and  down  like  corks. 

It  requires  a  cool  head  to  descend  a  rope-ladder  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  from  the  deck  to  a  dory  that  rolls  away 
from  the  ship  with  every  wave  and  which  may  only  be 
entered  as  it  rolls  back.  There  is  art  in  the  little  kick 
which  one  must  give  each  rung  against  the  side  of  the 
ship  to  steady  the  ladder.  At  the  last  comes  an  awful 
moment  when  a  woman  must  hang  alone  on  the  last  sway- 
ing rung  and  await  the  return  of  the  dory.  If  the  sea  is 
rough,  the  ship  will  probably  roll  away  from  the  boat. 
When  the  sailors,  therefore,  sing  out,  ''Now!  Jump!" 
she  must  close  her  eyes,  put  her  trust  in  heaven  and  fore- 
ordination,  and  jump. 

If  she  chances  to  jump  just  at  the  right  moment ;  if  one 
sailor  catches  her  just  right  and  another  catches  him  just 
right,  she  will  know  by  the  cheer  that  arises  from  hurricane 
and  texas  that  all  is  well  and  she  may  open  her  eyes.  Under 
other  conditions,  other  situations  arise;  but  let  no  woman 
be  deterred  by  the  possibility  of  the  latter  from  descend- 
ing a  rope-ladder  when  she  has  an  opportunity.  The  hair- 
crinkling  moments  in  an  ordinary  life  are  few  enough, 
heaven  knows. 

There  are  several  business  houses  and  dwellings  at 
Kayak;  and  an  Indian  village.  The  Indian  graveyard  is 
very  interesting.  Tiny  houses  are  built  over  the  graves 
and  surrounded  by  picket  fences.  Both  are  painted  white. 
Through  the  windows  may  be  seen  some  of  the  belongings 
of  the  dead.  In  dishes  are  different  kinds  of  food  and 
drink,  that  the  deceased  may  not  suffer  of  hunger  or 
thirst  in  the  bourne  to  which  he  may  have  journe^^ed. 
There  are  implements  and  weapons  for  the  men;  unfinished 
baskets  for  the  women,  with  the  long  strands  of  warp  and 
woof  left  ready  for  the  idle  hand ;  for  the  children,  beads 
and  rattles  made  of  bear  claws  and  shells.  The  houses 
are  on  posts  a  few  feet  above  the  graves. 


240  ALASKA:    TUE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

For  a  number  of  years  Kayak  was  the  base  of  opera- 
tion for  oil  companies.  In  1898  the  Ahiska  Development 
Company  staked  the  country,  but  later  leased  their  lands 
to  the  Alaska  Oil  and  Coal  Company  —  commonly  known 
as  the  "  English  "  company  —  for  a  long  term  of  years, 
with  the  privilege  of  taking  up  the  lease  in  1906.  This 
company  spent  millions  of  dollars  and  drilled  several 
wells. 

The  Alaska  Petroleum  and  Coal  Company  —  known  as 
the  Lippy  Company  —  put  down  two  holes,  one  seventeen 
hundred  feet  deep.  The  cost  of  drilling  is  about  five 
thousand  dollars  a  hole  of  two  thousand  feet  ;  the  rig, 
laid  down,  six  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 

These  wells  are  situated  at  Katalla,  sixteen  miles  from 
Kayak,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Copper  River.  The  oil  lands 
extend  from  the  coast  to  the  Malaspina  and  Behring 
glaciers. 

Since  the  recent  upspringing  of  a  new  town  at  Katalla, 
the  centre  of  trade  has  been  transferred  from  Kayak  to 
this  point.  Katalla  was  founded  in  1904  by  the  Alaska 
Petroleum  and  Coal  Company ;  but  not  until  the  actual 
commencement  of  work  on  the  Bruner  Railway  Com- 
pany's road,  in  1907,  from  Katalla  into  the  heart  of  the 
coal  and  oil  fields,  did  the  place  rise  to  the  importance  of 
a  northern  town. 

It  has  attained  a  wide  fame  within  a  few  months  on 
account  of  the  remarkable  discoveries  of  high-grade 
petroleum  and  coal  in  the  vicinity. 

For  many  years  these  two  products  of  Alaska  were  con- 
sidered of  inferior  quality ;  but  it  has  recently  been  dis- 
covered that  they  rival  the  finest  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  town  has  grown  as  only  a  new  Alaskan,  or  Puget 
Sound,  town  can  grow.  At  night,  perhaps,  there  will  be 
a  dozen  shacks  and  as  many  tents  on  a  town  site  ;  the  next 
morning  a  steamer  will  anchor  in  the  bay  bearing  govern- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  241 

ment  offices,  stores,  hotels,  saloons,  dance-halls,  banks, 
offices  for  several  large  companies,  electric  light  plants, 
gas  works,  telephones  —  and  before  another  day  dawns, 
business  is  in  full  swing. 

For  fifteen  miles  along  the  Comptroller  Bay  water  front 
oil  wells  may  be  seen,  some  of  the  largest  oil  seepages 
existing  close  to  the  shore.  The  coal  and  oil  lands  of 
this  vicinity,  however,  are  about  a  hundred  miles  in 
length  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  in  width. 

During  the  fall  and  early  winter  of  1907,  Katalla  suf- 
fered a  serious  menace  to  its  prosperity,  owing  to  its  total 
lack  of  a  harbor. 

The  bay  is  but  a  mere  indentation,  and  an  open  road- 
stead sends  its  surf  to  curl  upon  the  unprotected  beach. 
The  storms  in  winter  are  ceaseless  and  terrific.  Steamers 
cannot  land  and  anchors  will  not  hold. 

As  Nome,  similarly  situated,  is  cut  off  from  the  world 
for  several  months  by  ice,  so  is  Katalla  cut  off  by  storms. 

Steamer  after  steamer  sails  into  the  roadstead,  rolls  and 
tosses  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  lingers  regretfully,  and 
sails  away,  without  landing  even  a  passenger,  or  mail. 

In  October,  1907,  one  whole  banking  outfit,  including 
everything  necessary  for  the  opening  of  a  bank,  save  the 
cashier,  —  who  was  already  there,  —  and  the  building,  — 
which  was  waiting,  — was  taken  up  on  a  steamer.  Not 
being  able  to  lighter  it  ashore,  the  steamer  carried  the 
bank  to  Cook  Inlet. 

Upon  its  return,  conditions  again  made  it  impossible  to 
enter  the  bay,  and  the  bank  was  carried  back  to  Seattle. 
When  the  steamer  again  went  north,  the  bank  went,  too  ; 
when  the  steamer  returned,  the  bank  returned. 

In  the  meantime,  other  events  were  shaping  themselves 
in  such  wise  as  to  render  the  situation  extremely 
interesting. 

A  few  miles  northwest  of  Katalla,  the  town  of  Cordova 


242  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

was  established  three  years  ago,  with  the  terminus  of  the 
Copper  River  Railway  located  there.  Mr.  M.  J.  Heiiey, 
who  had  built  the  White  Pass  and  Yukon  Railway, 
received  the  contract  for  the  work.  The  building  of 
wharves  in  the  excellent  harbor  and  the  laying  out  of  a 
town  site  capable  of  accommodating  twenty  thousand 
people  —  and  one  that  might  have  pleased  even  the  fas- 
tidious Shelikoff  —  was  energetically  begun. 

Early  in  1907  the  Copper  River  Railway  sold  its  in- 
terests to  the  Northwestern  and  Copper  River  Valley 
Railway,  promoted  by  John  Rosene,  and  financed  by  the 
Guggenheiras.  It  was  semi-officially  announced  that  the 
new  company  would  tear  up  the  Cordova  tracks  and  that 
Katalla  would  be  the  terminus  of  the  consolidated  line. 
The  announcement  precipitated  the  "boom"  at  Katalla. 

Mr.  Heney  retired  from  the  new  company  and  spent 
the  summer  voyaging  down  the  Yukon. 

Immediately  upon  his  return  to  Seattle  in  September, 
he  journeyed  to  New  York.  In  a  few  days,  newspapers 
devoted  columns  to  the  sale  of  the  Rosene  interests  in 
the  railway,  also  a  large  fleet  of  first-class  steamers,  and 
wharves,  to  the  Copper  River  and  Northwestern  Railway 
Company. 

The  contract  for  the  immediate  building  of  the  road 
had  been  secured  by  Mr.  Heney,  who  had  returned  to  his 
original  survej^s.  The  terminus  at  once  travelled  back  to 
Cordova  ;  and  the  itinerant  bank  may  yet  thank  its  guid- 
ing star  which  prevented  it  from  getting  itself  landed  at 
Katalla. 

Important  "  strikes  "  are  made  constantly  in  the  Tanana 
country,  in  the  Sushitna,  and  in  the  Koyukuk,  where  pay 
is  found  surpassing  the  best  of  the  Klondike. 

The  trail  from  Valdez  to  Fairbanks  may  yet  be  as 
thickly  strewn  with  eager-eyed  stampeders  as  were  the 
Dyea  and   Skagway  trails  a  decade  ago.     Never  again. 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  243 

however,  in  any  part  of  Alaska,  can  the  awful  conditions 
of  that  time  prevail.  Steamer,  rail,  and  stage  transpor- 
tation have  made  travelling  in  the  North  luxurious,  com- 
pared to  the  horrors  endured  in  the  old  days. 

The  Guggenheims  have  been  compelled  to  carry  on  a 
fantastic  fight  for  right  of  way  for  the  Copper  River  and 
Northwestern  Railroad.  In  the  summer  of  1907,  they 
attempted  to  lay  track  at  Katalla  over  the  disputed 
Bruner  right  of  way.  The  Bruner  Company  had  con- 
structed an  immense  "go-devil"  of  railway  rails,  which, 
operated  by  powerful  machinery,  could  be  swung  back 
and  forth  over  the  disputed  point.  It  was  operated  by 
armed  men  behind  fortifications. 

The  Bruner  concern  was  known  as  the  Alaska-Pacific 
Transportation  and  Terminal  Company,  financed  by  Pitts- 
burg capital,  and  proposed  building  a  road  to  the  coal 
regions,  thence  to  the  Copper  River.  They  sought  right 
of  way  by  condemnation  proceedings. 

The  town  site  of  Katalla  is  owned  by  the  Alaska 
Petroleum  and  Coal  Company,  which  had  deeded  a  right 
of  way  to  the  Guggenheims;  also,  a  large  tract  of  land 
for  smelter  purposes.  At  one  point  it  was  necessary  for 
the  latter  to  cross  the  right  of  way  of  the  Bruner  road. 

The  trouble  began  in  INI  ay,  when  the  Bruner  workmen 
dynamited  a  pile-driver  and  trestle  belonging  to  the 
Guggenheims,  who  had  then  approached  within  one  hun- 
dred feet  of  the  Bruner  right  of  \vay. 

On  July  3  a  party  of  Guggenheim  laborers,  under  the 
protection  of  a  fire  from  detachments  of  armed  men,  suc- 
ceeded in  laying  track  over  the  disputed  right  of  way. 

Tony  de  Pascal  daringly  led  the  construction  party 
and  received  the  reward  of  a  thousand  dollars  offered  by 
the  Guggenheims  to  the  man  who  would  successfully  lead 
the  attacking  forces.  Soon  afterward,  he  was  shot  dead 
by  one  of  his  own  men  wlio  mistook  him  for  a  member 


244  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

of  the  opposing  force.  Ten  other  men  were  seriously 
injured  by  bullets  from  the  Bruner  block-houses. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  a  party  of  men  sur- 
veying for  the  Reynolds  Home  Kailway,  from  Valdez  to 
the  Yukon,  met  armed  resistance  in  Keystone  Canyon 
from  a  force  of  men  holding  right  of  way  for  the  Gug- 
genheims.  A  battle  occurred  in  which  one  man  was 
killed  and  three  seriously  wounded. 

The  wildest  excitement  prevailed  in  fiery  Valdez,  and 
probably  only  the  proximity  of  a  United  States  military 
post  prevented  the  lynching  of  the  men  who  did  the 
killing. 

Ever  since  the  advent  of  the  Russians,  Copper  River 
has  been  considered  one  of  the  bonanzas  of  Alaska.  It 
was  discovered  in  1783  by  Nagaief,  a  member  of  Potap 
Zaikoff's  party.  He  ascended  it  for  a  short  distance  and 
traded  with  the  natives,  who  called  the  river  Atnah. 
Rufus  Serrebrennikof  and  his  men  attempted  an  explora- 
tion, but  were  killed.  General  Miles,  under  Abercrombie, 
attempted  to  ascend  the  river  in  1884,  with  the  in- 
tention of  coming  out  by  the  Chilkaht  country;  but  the 
expedition  was  a  failure.  In  the  following  year  Lieu- 
tenant H.  T.  Allen  successfully  ascended  the  river, 
crossed  the  divide  to  the  Tanana,  sailed  down  that 
stream  to  the  Yukon,  explored  the  Koyukuk,  and  then 
proceeded  down  the  Yukon  to  St.  Michael  and  returned 
to  San  Francisco  by  ocean. 

His  description  of  Miles  Glacier  was  the  first  to  be 
printed.  This  glacier  fronts  for  a  distance  of  six  miles 
in  splendid  palisades  on  Copper  River.  This  and  Childs 
Glacier  afford  the  chief  obstacles  to  navigation  on  this 
river,  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Brooks  reports  their  rapid  recession. 

The  river  is  regarded  as  exceedingly  dangerous  for 
steamers,  but  may,  with  caution,  be  navigated  with 
small  boats.  Between  the  mouth  of  the  Chitina  and 
the  head  of  the  broad  delta  of  the  Copper  River,  is  the 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  245 

only  canyon.  It  is  the  famous  Wood  Canyon,  several 
miles  in  length  and  in  many  places  only  forty  yards 
wide,  with  the  water  roaring  through  perpendicular 
stone  walls.  The  Tiekel,  Tasnuna,  and  other  streams 
tributary  to  this  part  of  the  Copper  also  flow  through 
narrow  valleys  with  precipitous  slopes. 

The  Copper  River  has  its  source  in  the  mountains  east 
of  its  great  plateau,  whose  eastern  margin  it  traverses, 
and  then,  passing  through  the  Chugach  Mountains,  de- 
bouches across  a  wide  delta  into  the  North  Pacific  Ocean 
between  Katalla  and  Cordova.  It  rises  close  to  Mount 
Wrangell,  flows  northward  for  forty  miles,  south  and 
southwest  for  fifty  more,  when  the  Chitina  joins  it  from 
the  east  and  swells  its  flood  for  the  remaining  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  to  the  coast. 

The  Copper  is  a  silt-laden,  turbulent  stream  from  its 
source  to  the  sea.  Its  average  fall  is  about  twelve  feet 
to  the  mile.  From  the  Chitina  to  its  mouth,  it  is  steep- 
sided  and  rock-bound;  for  its  entire  length,  it  is  weird 
and  impressive. 

By  land,  the  distance  from  Katalla  to  Cordova  is  in- 
significant. It  is  a  distance,  however,  that  cannot  as 
yet  be  traversed,  on  account  of  the  delta  and  other  im- 
passable topographic  features,  which  only  a  railroad  can 
overcome.  The  distance  by  water  is  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles. 

In  the  entrance  to  Cordova  Bay  is  Hawkins  Island, 
and  to  the  southwest  of  this  island  lies  Hinchingbroke 
Island,  whose  southern  extremity,  at  the  entrance  to 
Prince  William  Sound,  was  named  Cape  Hinchingbroke 
by  Cook  in  1778.  At  a  point  named  Snug  Corner  Bay 
Cook  keeled  and  mended  his  ships. 

This  peerless  sound  itself  —  brilliantly  blue,  greenly 
islanded,  and  set  round  with  snow  peaks  and  glaciers, 
including   among   the   latter   the   most   beautiful  one  of 


246  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Alaska,  if  not  the  most  beautiful  of  the  world,  the 
Columbia  —  was  known  as  Chugach  Gulf  —  a  name  to 
which  I  hope  it  may  some  day  return,  —  until  Cook 
renamed  it. 

A  boat  sent  out  by  Cook  was  pursued  by  natives  in 
canoes.  They  seemed  afraid  to  approach  the  ship;  but 
at  a  distance  sang,  stood  up  in  the  canoes,  extending  their 
arms  and  holding  out  white  garments  of  peace.  One  man 
stood  up,  entirely  nude,  with  his  arms  stretched  out  like 
a  cross,  motionless,  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

The  following  night  a  few  natives  came  out  in  the 
skin-boats  of  the  Eskimos.  These  boats  are  still  used 
from  this  point  westward  and  northward  to  Nome  and 
up  the  Yukon  as  far  as  the  Eskimos  have  settlements. 
They  are  of  three  kinds.  One  is  a  large,  open,  flat- 
bottomed  boat.  It  is  made  of  a  wooden  frame,  covered 
with  walrus  skin  or  sealskin,  held  in  place  by  thongs  of 
the  former.  This  is  called  an  oomiak  by  the  Innuits  or 
Eskimos,  and  a  bidarra  by  the  Russians.  It  is  used  by 
women,  or  by  large  parties  of  men. 

A  boat  for  one  man  is  made  in  the  same  fashion,  but 
covered  completely  over,  with  the  exception  of  one  hole 
in  which  the  occupant  sits,  and  around  which  is  an  up- 
right rim.  When  at  sea  he  wears  a  walrus-gut  coat, 
completely  waterproof,  which  he  ties  around  the  outside 
of  the  rim.  The  coat  is  securely  tied  around  the  wrists, 
and  the  hood  is  drawn  tightly  around  the  face ;  so  that 
no  water  can  possibly  enter  the  boat  in  the  most  severe 
storm.     This  boat  is  called  a  bidarka. 

The  third,  called  a  kayak,  differs  from  the  bidarka 
only  in  being  longer  and  having  two  or  three  holes. 

The  walrus-gut  coats  are  called  kamelinkas  or  kame- 
laykas.  They  may  be  purchased  in  curio  stores,  and  at 
Seldovia  and  other  places  on  Cook  Inlet.  They  are  now 
gayly  decorated  with  bits  of  colored  wool  and  range  in 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  247 

price  from  ten  to  twenty  dollars,  according  to  the  amount 
of  work  upon  them. 

There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  names 
of  the  boats.  Dall  claims  that  the  one-holed  boat  was 
called  a  kaj^ak  by  the  natives,  and  by  the  Russians  a 
bidarka;  and  that  the  others  were  simply  known  as  two 
or  three  holed  bidarkas.  The  other  opinion,  which  I 
have  given,  is  that  of  people  living  in  the  vicinity  at 
present. 

Each  of  the  men  who  came  out  in  the  bidarkas  to  visit 
Cook  had  a  stick  about  three  feet  long,  the  end  of  which 
was  decorated  with  large  tufts  of  feathers.  Behring's 
men  were  received  in  precisely  the  same  manner  at  the 
Shumagin  Islands,  far  to  westward,  in  1741;  their  sticks, 
according  to  ^liiller,  being  decorated  with  hawks'  wings. 

These  natives  were  found  to  be  thievish  and  treacher- 
ous, attempting  to  capture  a  boat  under  the  ship's  very 
guns  and  in  the  face  of  a  hundred  men. 

Cook  then  sailed  southward  and  discovered  the  largest 
island  in  the  sound,  the  Sukluk  of  the  natives,  which  he 
named  Montagu. 

Nutchek,  or  Port  Etches,  as  it  was  named  by  Portlock, 
is  just  inside  the  entrance  to  the  sound  on  the  western 
shore  of  the  island  that  is  now  known  as  Hinchingbroke, 
but  which  was  formerly  called  Nutchek. 

Here  Baranoff,  several  years  later,  built  the  ships  that 
bore  his  first  expedition  to  Sitka.  The  Russian  trading 
post  was  called  the  Redoubt  Constantine  and  Elena.  It 
was  a  strong,  stockaded  fort  with  two  bastions. 

There  is  a  salmon  cannery  at  Nutchek,  and  the  furs  of 
the  Copper  River  country  were  brought  here  for  many 
years  for  barter. 

Orca  is  situated  about  three  miles  north  of  Cordova,  in 
Cordova  Bay.  There  is  a  large  salmon  canner}^  at  Orca ; 
and  the  number  of  sea-birds  to  be  seen  in  this  small  bay, 


248  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

filling  the  air  in  snowy  clouds  and  covering  the  pre- 
cipitous clil'fs  facing  the  wharf,  is  surpassed  in  only  one 
place  on  the  Alaskan  coast  —  Karluk  Bay. 

For  several  years  before  the  founding  of  Valdez,  Orca 
was  used  as  a  port  by  the  argonauts  who  crossed  by  way 
of  Valdez  Pass  to  tlie  Copper  River  mining  regions,  and 
by  way  of  the  Tanana  River  to  the  Yukon. 

Prince  William  Sound  is  one  of  the  most  nobly  beau- 
tiful bodies  of  water  in  Alaska.  Its  wide  blue  water- 
sweeps,  its  many  mountainous,  wooded,  and  snow-peaked 
islands,  the  magnificent  glaciers  which  palisade  its  ice- 
inlets,  and  the  chain  of  lofty,  snowy  mountains  that 
float  mistily,  like  linked  pearls,  around  it  through  the 
amethystine  clouds,  give  it  a  poetic  and  austere  beauty 
of  its  own.  Every  slow  turn  of  the  prow  brings  forth 
some  new  delight  to  the  eye.  Never  does  one  beautiful 
snow-dome  fade  lingeringly  from  the  horizon,  ere  another 
pushes  into  the  exquisitely  colored  atmosphere,  in  a  chaste 
beauty  that  fairly  thrills  the  heart  of  the  beholder. 

The  sound,  or  gulf,  extends  winding  blue  arms  in  every 
direction,  —  into  the  mainland  and  into  the  many  islands. 
It  covers  an  extent  of  more  than  twenty-five  hundred 
square  miles.  The  entrance  is  about  fifty  miles  wide,  but  is 
slieltered  by  countless  islands.  The  largest  and  richest  are 
Montagu,  Hinchingbroke,  La  Touche,  Knight's,  and  Haw- 
kins. There  are  many  excellent  harbors  on  the  shores  of 
the  gulf  and  on  the  islands,  and  the  Russians  built  several 
ships  here.  In  Chalmers  Bay  Vancouver  discovered  a 
remarkable  point,  which  bore  stumps  of  trees  cut  with  an 
axe,  but  far  below  low-water  mark  at  the  time  of  his  dis- 
covery.    He  named  it  Sinking  Point. 

There  is  a  portage  from  the  head  of  the  gulf  to  Cook  Inlet, 
which,  the  earliest  Russians  learned,  had  long  been  used  by 
the  natives,  who  are  of  the  Innuit,  or  Eskimo,  tribe,  simi- 
lar to  those  of  the  Inlet,  and  are  called  Chugaches.     The 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  249 

northern   shore  of   Kenai  and  the  western    coast  of    the 
Inlet  are  occupied  by  Indians  of  the  Athabascan  stock. 

Cook  found  the  natives  of  the  gulf  of  medium  size, 
with  square  chests  and  large  heads.  The  complexion  of 
the  children  and  some  of  the  younger  women  was  white ; 
many  of  the  latter  having  agreeable  features  and  pleasing 
appearance.  They  were  vivacious,  good-natured,  and  of 
engaging  frankness. 

These  people,  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  wore  a  close 
robe  reaching  to  the  ankles  —  sometimes  only  to  the 
knees  —  made  of  the  skins  of  sea-otter,  seal,  gray  fox,  rac- 
coon, and  pine-marten.  These  garments  were  worn  with 
the  fur  outside.  Now  and  then  one  was  seen  made  of  the 
down  of  sea-birds,  which  had  been  glued  to  some  other 
substance.  The  seams  were  ornamented  with  thongs,  or 
tassels,  of  the  same  skins. 

In  rain  they  wore  kamelinkas  over  the  fur  robes. 
Cook's  description  of  a  kamelinka  as  resembling  a  "  gold- 
beater's leaf  "  is  a  very  good  one. 

His  understanding  of  the  custom  of  wearing  the  labret, 
however,  differs  from  that  of  other  early  navigators.  The 
incision  in  the  lip,  he  states,  was  made  even  in  the  chil- 
dren at  the  breast;  while  La  Perouse  and  others  were 
of  the  impression  that  it  was  not  made  until  a  girl  had 
arrived  at  a  marriageable  age. 

It  appears  that  the  incision  in  time  assumes  the  shape 
of  real  lips,  through  which  the  tongue  may  be  thrust. 

One  of  Cook's  seamen,  seeing  for  the  first  time  a 
woman  having  the  incision  from  which  the  labret  had 
been  removed,  fell  into  a  panic  of  horror  and  ran  to  his 
companions,  crying  that  he  "had  seen  a  man  with  two 
mouths," — evidently  mistaking  the  woman  for  a  man. 
Cook  reported  that  both  sexes  wore  the  labret ;  but  this 
was  doubtless  an  error.     When  they  are  clad  in  the  fur 


250  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    t'OL'NTRV 

garments,  which  are  called  parkas,  it  is  difficult  to  distin- 
guish one  sex  from  the  other  among  the  younger  people. 

I  had  a  rather  amusing  experience  myself  at  the  small 
native  settlement  of  Anvik  on  the  Yukon.  It  was  mid- 
night, but  broad  daylight,  as  we  were  in  the  Arctic  Circle. 
The  natives  were  all  clad  in  parkas.  Two  sitting  side  by 
side  resembled  each  other  closely.  After  buying  some  of 
their  curios,  I  asked  one,  indicating  the  other,  "  Is  she 
your  sister  ?  " 

To  my  confusion,  my  question  was  received  with  a 
loud  burst  of  laughter,  in  which  a  dozen  natives,  sitting 
around  them,  hoarsely  and  hilariously  joined. 

They  poked  the  unfortunate  object  of  my  curiosity  in 
the  ribs,  pointed  at  him  derisively,  and  kept  crying  — 
"She!  She!"  until  at  last  the  poor  young  fellow,  not 
more  embarrassed  than  myself,  sprang  to  his  feet  and  ran 
away,  with  laughter  and  cries  of  "She!  She!"  following 
him. 

I  have  frequently  recalled  the  scene,  and  feared  that 
the  innocent  dark-eyed  and  sweet-smiling  youth  may  have 
retained  the  name  which  was  so  mirthfully  bestowed  upon 
him  that  summer  night. 

But  since  the  mistake  in  sex  may  be  so  easily  made,  I 
am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  Cook  and  his  men  were  mis- 
led in  this  particular. 

A  most  remarkable  difference  of  opinion  existed  be- 
tween Cook  and  other  early  explorers  as  to  the  cleanliness 
of  the  natives.  He  found  their  method  of  eating  decent 
and  cleanly,  their  persons  neat,  without  grease  or  dirt, 
and  their  wooden  dishes  in  excellent  order. 

The  white-headed  eagle  was  found  here,  as  well  as  the 
shag,  the  great  kingfisher  of  brilliant  coloring,  the  hum- 
ming-bird, water-fowl,  grouse,  snipe,  and  plover.  Many 
other  species  of  water  and  land  fowl  have  been  added  to 
these. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  251 

The  flora  of  the  islands  is  brilliant,  varied,  and  luxuriant. 

lu  1786  John  Meares  —  who  is  dear  to  my  heart  be- 
cause of  his  confidence  in  Juan  de  Fuca  —  came  to  disas- 
ter in  the  Chugach  Gulf.  Overtaken  by  winter,  he  first 
tried  the  ancliorage  at  Snug  Corner  Cove,  in  his  ship,  the 
Nootka,  but  later  moved  to  a  more  sheltered  nook  closer 
to  the  mainland,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  native  vil- 
lage of  Tatitlik. 

The  ill-provisioned  vessel  was  covered  for  the  winter ; 
spruce  beer  was  brewed,  but  the  men  preferred  the  liq- 
uors, which  were  freely  served,  and,  fresh  fish  being 
scarce,  scurvy  became  epidemic.  The  surgeon  was  the 
first  to  die  ;   but  he  was  followed  by  many  others. 

At  first,  graves  were  dug  under  the  snow ;  but  soon 
the  survivors  were  too  few  and  too  exhausted  for  this 
last  service  to  their  mates.  The  dead  Avere  then  dropped 
in  fissures  of  the  ice  which  surrounded  their  ship. 

At  last,  when  the  lowest  depth  of  despair  had  been 
reached.  Captains  Portlock  and  Dixon  arrived  and  fur- 
nished relief  and  assistance. 

In  1787-1788  the  Chugach  Gulf  presented  a  strange 
appearance  to  the  natives,  not  yet  familiar  with  the  pres- 
ence of  ships.  Englishmen  under  different  flags,  Rus- 
sians and  Spaniards,  were  sailing  to  all  parts  of  the  gulf, 
taking  possession  in  the  names  of  different  nations  of  all 
the  harbors  and  islands. 

In  Voskressenski  Harbor  —  now  known  as  Resurrec- 
tion Bay,  where  the  new  railroad  town  of  Seward  is  situ- 
ated—  the  first  ship  ever  built  in  Alaska  was  launched  by 
Baranoff,  in  1791.  It  was  christened  the  Phoenix,  and 
was  followed  by  many  others. 

Preparations  for  ship-building  were  begun  in  the  win- 
ter of  1791.  Suitable  buildings,  storehouses,  and  quarters 
for  the  men  were  erected.  There  were  no  large  saws, 
and  planks  were  hewn  out  of  whole  logs.     The  iron  re- 


252  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

quired  was  collected  from  wrecks  in  all  parts  of  the  col- 
onies ;  steel  for  axes  was  procured  in  the  same  way. 
Having  no  tar,  Baranoff  used  a  mixture  of  spruce  gum 
and  oil. 

Provisions  were  scarce,  and  no  time  was  allowed  for 
hunting  or  fishing.  So  severe  were  the  hardships  endured 
that  no  one  but  Baranoff  could  have  kept  up  his  courage 
and  that  of  his  suffering  men,  and  cheered  them  on  to 
final  success. 

The  Phoenix  —  which  was  probably  named  for  an  Eng- 
lish ship  which  had  visited  the  Chugach  Gulf  in  1792  — 
was  built  of  spruce  timber,  and  was  seventy-three  feet 
long.  It  was  provided  with  two  decks  and  three  masts. 
The  calking  above  the  water-line  was  of  moss.  The  sails 
were  composed  of  fragments  of  canvas  gathered  from  all 
parts  of  the  colonies. 

On  her  first  voyage  to  Kadiak,  the  Phoenix  encountered 
a  storm  which  brought  disaster  to  her  frail  rigging ;  and 
instead  of  sailing  proudly  into  harbor,  as  Baranoff  had 
hoped,  she  was  ignominiously  towed  in. 

But  she  was  the  first  vessel  built  in  the  colonies  to 
enter  that  harbor  in  any  fashion,  and  the  Russian  joy  was 
great.  The  event  was  celebrated  by  solemn  Mass,  fol- 
lowed by  high  eating  and  higher  drinking. 

The  Phoenix  was  refitted  and  rerigged  and  sent  out  on 
her  triumphal  voyage  to  Okhotsk.  There  she  arrived 
safely  and  proudly.  She  was  received  with  volleys  of 
artillery,  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  celebration  of  Mass,  and 
great  and  joyous  feasting. 

A  cabin  and  deck  houses  were  added,  the  vessel  was 
painted,  and  from  that  time  until  her  loss  in  the  Alaskan 
Gulf,  the  Phoenix  regularly  plied  the  waters  of  Behring 
Sea  and  the  North  Pacific  Ocean  between  Okhotsk  and 
the  Russian  colonies  in  America. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

Ellamar  is  a  small  town  on  Virgin  Bay,  Prince  Will- 
iam Sound,  at  the  entrance  to  Puerto  de  Valdes,  or  Val- 
dez  Narrows.  It  is  very  prettily  situated  on  a  gently 
rising  hill. 

It  has  a  population  of  five  or  six  hundred,  and  is  the 
home  of  the  Ellamar  Mining  Company.  Here  are  the 
headquarters  of  a  group  of  copper  properties  known  as 
the  Gladdaugh  mines. 

One  of  the  mines  extends  under  the  sea,  whose  waves 
wash  the  buildings.  It  has  been  a  large  and  regular 
shipper  for  several  years.  In  1903  forty  thousand  tons 
of  ore  were  shipped  to  the  Tacoma  smelter,  and  shipments 
have  steadily  increased  with  every  year  since. 

The  mine  is  practically  a  solid  mass  of  iron  and  copper 
pyrites.  It  has  a  width  of  more  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  where  exposed,  and  extends  along  the  strike 
for  a  known  distance  of  more  than  three  hundred  feet. 

The  vast  quantities  of  gold  found  in  Alaska  have,  up  to 
the  present  time,  kept  the  other  rich  mineral  products  of 
the  country  in  the  background.  Copper  is,  at  last,  com- 
ing into  her  own.  The  year  of  1907  brouglit  forth  tre- 
mendous developments  in  copper  properties.  The  Gug- 
genheim-Morgan-Rockefeller syndicate  has  kept  experts 
in  every  known,  or  suspected,  copper  district  of  the  North 
during  the  last  two  years.  Cordova,  the  sea  terminus  of 
the  new  railroad,  is  in  the  very  heart  of  one  of  the  richest 
copper  districts.     The  holdings  of  this  syndicate  are  al- 

253 


254  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ready  immense  and  cover  every  district.  The  railroad 
will  run  to  the  Yukon,  with  branches  extending  into 
every  rich  region. 

Other  heavily  financed  companies  are  preparing  to  rival 
the  Guggenheims,  and  individual  miners  will  work  their 
claims  this  year.  Experts  predict  that  within  a  decade 
Alaska  will  become  one  of  the  greatest  copper-producing 
countries  of  the  world.  In  the  Copper  River  country 
alone,  north  of  Valdez,  there  is  more  copper,  according 
to  expert  reports,  than  Montana  or  Michigan  ever  has 
produced,  or  ever  will  produce. 

The  Ketchikan  district  is  also  remarkably  rich.  At 
Niblack  Anchorage,  on  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  the  ore 
carries  five  per  cent  of  copper,  and  the  mines  are  most 
favorably  located  on  tide-water. 

Native  copper,  associated  with  gold,  has  been  found  on 
Turnagain  Arm,  in  the  country  tributary  to  the  Alaska 
Central  Railway. 

A  half  interest  in  the  Bonanza,  a  copper  mine  on  the 
western  side  of  La  Touche  Island,  Prince  William  Sound, 
was  sold  last  year  for  more  than  a  million  dollars.  This 
mine  is  not  fully  developed,  but  is  considered  one  of  the 
best  in  Alaska.  It  has  an  elevation  of  two  liundred  feet. 
Several  tunnels  have  been  driven,  and  the  ore  taken  out 
runs  high  in  copper,  gold,  and  silver.  One  shipment  of 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds  gave 
net  returns  of  fifty  dollars  to  the  ton,  after  deducting 
freight  to  Tacoma,  smelting,  refining,  and  an  allowance 
of  ninety-five  per  cent  for  the  silver  valuation.  A  sample 
taken  along  one  tunnel  for  sixty  feet  gave  an  assay  of 
over  nine  per  cent  copper,  with  one  and  a  quarter  ounces 
of  silver. 

The  Bonanza  was  purchased  in  1900  by  Messrs.  Beat- 
son  and  Robertson  for  seventy-two  thousand  dollars. 
There  is  a  good  wharf  and  a  tramway  line  to  the  mine. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  255 

Adjoining  the  Bonanza  on  the  north  is  a  group  of 
eleven  claims  owned  by  Messrs.  Esterly,  Meenach,  and 
Keyes,  which  are  in  course  of  development.  There  are 
many  other  rich  claims  on  this  island,  on  Knight's,  and 
on  others  in  the  sound.  Timber  is  abundant,  the  water 
power  is  excellent,  and  ore  is  easily  shipped. 

There  is  an  Indian  village  two  or  three  miles  from 
EUamar.  It  is  the  village  of  Tatitlik,  the  only  one  now 
remaining  on  the  sound,  so  rapidly  are  the  natives  vanish- 
ing under  the  evil  influence  of  civilization.  Ten  years  ago 
there  were  nine  hundred  natives  in  the  various  villages  on 
the  shores  of  the  sound ;  while  now  there  are  not  more 
than  two  hundred,  at  the  most  generous  calculation. 

White  men  prospecting  and  fishing  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  village  supply  them  with  liquor.  When  a  sufficient 
quantity  can  be  purchased,  the  entire  village,  men  and 
women,  indulges  in  a  prolonged  and  horrible  debauch 
which  frequently  lasts  for  several  weeks. 

The  death  rate  at  Tatitlik  is  very  heavy, —  more  than 
a  hundred  natives  having  died  during  1907. 

Passengers  have  time  to  visit  this  village  while  the 
steamer  loads  ore  at  Ellamar. 

The  loading  of  ore,  by  the  way,  is  a  new  experience. 
A  steamer  on  which  I  was  travelling  once  landed  at  Ella- 
mar  during  the  night. 

We  were  rudely  awakened  from  our  dreams  by  a  sound 
which  Lieutenant  Whidbey  would  have  called  "-most  stu- 
pendously dreadful."  We  thought  that  the  whole  bottom 
of  the  ship  must  have  been  knocked  off  by  striking  a  reef, 
and  we  reached  the  floor  simultaneously. 

I  have  no  notion  how  my  own  eyes  looked,  but  my 
friend's  eyes  were  as  large  and  expressive  as  bread-and- 
butter  plates. 

"  We  are  going  down  !  "  she  exclaimed,  with  tragic 
brevity. 


256  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

At  that  instant  the  dreadful  sound  was  repeated.  We 
were  convinced  that  the  ship  was  being  pounded  to  pieces 
under  us  upon  rocks.  Without  speech  we  began  dressing 
with  that  haste  that  makes  fingers  become  thumbs. 

But  suddenly  a  tap  came  upon  our  door,  and  the  watch- 
man's voice  spoke  outside. 

"  Ladies,  we  are  at  Ellamar." 

"At  Ellamar!" 

"  Yes.  You  asked  to  be  called  if  it  wasn't  midnight 
when  we  landed." 

"  But  what  is  that  awful  noise,  watchman  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we're  loading  ore,"  he  answered  cheerfully,  and 
walked  away. 

All  that  night  and  part  of  the  next  day  tons  upon  tons 
of  ore  thundered  into  the  hold.  We  could  not  sleep,  we 
could  not  talk  ;  we  could  only  think ;  and  the  things  we 
thought  shall  never  be  told,  nor  shall  wild  horses  drag 
them  from  us. 

We  dressed,  in  desperation,  and  went  up  to  "the 
store  "  ;  sat  upon  high  stools,  ate  stale  peppermint  candy, 
and  listened  to  "  Uncle  Josh  "  telling  his  parrot  story 
through  the  phonograph. 

Somehow,  between  the  ship  and  the  store,  we  got  our- 
selves through  the  night  and  the  early  morning  hours. 
After  breakfast  we  found  the  green  and  flowery  slopes 
back  of  the  town  charming ;  and  a  walk  of  three  miles 
along  the  shore  to  the  Indian  village  made  us  forget  the 
ore  for  a  few  hours.  But  to  this  day,  when  I  read  that 
an  Alaskan  ship  has  brought  down  hundreds  of  tons  of 
ore  to  the  Tacoma  smelter,  my  heart  goes  out  silently  to 
the  passengers  who  were  on  that  ship  when  the  ore  was 
loaded. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

When  seen  under  favorable  conditions,  the  Columbia 
Glacier  is  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  Alaska.  I  have 
visited  it  twice ;  once  at  sunset,  and  again  on  an  all-day 
excursion  from  Valdez. 

The  point  on  the  western  side  of  the  entrance  to 
Puerto  de  Valdes,  as  it  was  named  by  Fidalgo,  was  named 
Point  Fremantle  by  Vancouver.  Just  west  of  this  point 
and  three  miles  north  of  the  Conde,  or  Glacier,  Island  is 
the  nearly  square  bay  upon  which  the  glacier  fronts. 

Entering  this  bay  from  the  Puerto  de  Valdes,  one  is 
instantly  conscious  of  the  presence  of  something  wonder- 
ful and  mysterious.  Long  before  it  can  be  seen,  this  pres- 
ence is  felt,  like  that  of  a  living  thing.  Quick,  vibrant, 
thrilling,  and  inexpressibly  sweet,  its  breath  sweeps  out  to 
salute  the  voyager  and  lure  him  on ;  and  with  every  sense 
alert,  he  follows,  but  with  no  conception  of  what  he  is  to 
behold. 

One  may  have  seen  glaciers  upon  glaciers,  yet  not  be 
prepared  for  the  splendor  and  the  magnificence  of  the  one 
that  palisades  the  northern  end  of  this  bay. 

The  Fremantle  Glacier  was  first  seen  by  Lieutenant 
Whidbey,  to  whose  cold  and  unappreciative  eyes  so  many 
of  the  most  precious  things  of  Alaska  were  first  revealed. 
He  simply  described  it  as  "  a  solid  body  of  compact,  ele- 
vated ice  .  .  .  bounded  at  no  great  distance  by  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  high  ridge  of  snowy  mountains." 

He  heard  "thunder-like"  noises,  and  found  that  they 
s  257 


258  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

had  been  produced  by  the  breaking  off  and  headlong 
plunging  into  the  sea  of  great  bodies  of  ice. 

In  such  wise  was  one  of  the  most  marvellous  things  of 
the  world  first  seen  and  described. 

The  glacier  has  a  frontage  of  about  four  miles,  and  its 
glittering  j)alisades  tower  upward  to  a  height  of  from 
three  to  four  hundred  feet.  There  is  a  small  island,  named 
Heather,  in  the  bay.  Poor  Whidbey  felt  the  earth  shake 
at  a  distance  of  three  miles  from  the  falling  ice. 

In  ordinary  light,  the  front  of  the  glacier  is  beautifully 
blue.  It  is  a  blue  that  is  never  seen  in  anything  save  a  gla- 
cier or  a  floating  iceberg  —  a  pale,  pale  blue  that  seems  to 
flash  out  fire  with  every  movement.  At  sunset,  its  beauty 
holds  one  spellbound.  It  sweeps  down  magnificently 
from  the  snow  peaks  which  form  its  fit  setting  and  pushes 
out  into  the  sea  in  a  solid  wall  of  spired  and  pinnacled 
opal  which,  ever  and  anon  breaking  off,  flings  over  it 
clouds  of  color  which  dazzle  the  eyes.  At  times  there  is 
a  display  of  prismatic  colors.  Across  the  front  grow, 
fade  and  grow  again,  the  most  beautiful  rainbow  shadings. 
They  come  and  go  swiftly  and  noiselessly,  affecting  one 
somewhat  like  Northern  Lights  —  so  still,  so  brilliant,  so 
mysterious. 

There  was  silence  upon  our  ship  as  it  throbbed  in,  slowly 
and  cautiously,  among  the  floating  icebergs  —  some  of 
which  were  of  palest  green,  others  of  that  pale  blue  I  have 
mentioned,  and  still  others  of  an  enchanting  rose  color. 
Even  the  woman  who  had,  during  the  whole  voj^age,  taken 
the  finest  edge  off  our  enjoyment  of  every  mountain  by 
drawling  out,  "Oh  —  how  —  pretty!  George,  will  you 
just  come  here  and  look  at  this  pretty  mountain  ?  It 
looks  good  enough  to  eat  "  — even  this  woman  was  speech- 
less now,  for  which  blessing  we  gave  thanks  to  God,  of 
which  we  were  not  even  conscious  at  the  time. 

It  was  still  fired  as  brilliantly  upon  our  departure  as 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  259 

upon  our  entrance  into  its  presence.  The  June  sunset  in 
Alaska  draws  itself  out  to  midnight  ;  and  ever  since,  I 
have  been  tormented  with  the  longing  to  lie  before  that 
glacier  one  whole  June  night  ;  to  hear  its  falling  columns 
thunder  off  the  hours,  and  to  watch  the  changing  colors 
play  upon  its  brilliant  front. 

Even  in  the  middle  of  the  day  a  peculiarly  soft  and 
rich  rose  color  flashes  from  it  and  over  it.  One  who  has 
seen  the  first  snow  sifting  upon  a  late  rose  of  the  garden 
may  guess  what  a  delicate,  enchanting  rose  color  it  is. 

There  are  many  fine  glaciers  barricading  the  inlets  and 
bays  in  this  vicinity;  in  Port  Nell  Juan,  Applegate  Arm, 
Port  Wells,  Passage  Canal  —  which  leads  to  the  portage 
to  Cook  Inlet  —  and  Unakwik  Bay;  but  they  are  scarcely 
to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  breath  with  the  Fremantle. 
The  latter  has  been  known  as  the  Columbia  since  the  Har- 
riman  expedition  in  1899.  It  has  had  no  rival  since  the 
destruction  of  the  Muir. 

Either  the  disagreeable  features  of  the  Alaskan  climate 
have  been  grossly  exaggerated,  or  I  have  been  exceedingly 
fortunate  in  the  three  voyages  I  have  made  along  the 
coast  to  Unalaska,  and  down  the  Yukon  to  Nome.  On 
one  voyage  I  travelled  continuously  for  a  month  by  water, 
experiencing  only  three  rainy  days  and  three  cloudy  ones. 
All  the  other  days  were  clear  and  golden,  with  a  blue  sky, 
a  sparkling  sea,  and  air  that  was  sweet  with  sunshine, 
flowers,  and  snow.  I  have  never  been  in  Alaska  in  winter, 
but  I  have  for  three  years  carefully  compared  the  weather 
reports  of  different  sections  of  that  country  with  those  of 
other  cold  countries  ;  and  no  intelligent,  thoughtful  per- 
son can  do  this  without  arriving  at  conclusions  decidedly 
favorable  to  Alaska. 

Were  Alaska  possessed  of  the  same  degree  of  civiliza- 
tion that  is  enjoyed  by  St.  Petersburg,  Chicago,  St.  Paul, 


260  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Minneapolis,  and  New  York,  we  would  hear  no  more  of 
the  rigors  of  the  Alaskan  climate  than  we  hear  of  those 
of  tlie  cities  mentioned.  It  is  more  agreeable  than  the 
climate  of  Montana,  Nebraska,  or  the  Dakotas. 

With  large  cities,  rich  and  gay  cities  ;  prosperous  inhabit- 
ants clad  in  costly  furs  ;  luxurious  homes,  well  warmed 
and  brilliantly  lighted  ;  railway  trains,  sleighs,  and  auto- 
mobiles for  transportation  ;  splendid  theatres,  libraries, 
art  galleries,  —  with  these  and  the  hundreds  of  advantages 
enjoyed  by  the  people  of  other  cold  countries,  Alaska's 
winters  would  hold  no  terrors. 

It  is  the  present  loneliness  of  the  winter  that  appalls. 
The  awful  spaces  and  silences  ;  the  limitless  snow  plains  ; 
the  endless  chains  of  snow  mountains  ;  the  silent,  frozen 
rivers ;  the  ice-stayed  cataracts ;  the  bitter,  moaning 
sea  ;  the  hastily  built  homes,  lacking  luxuries,  sometimes 
even  comforts ;  the  poverty  of  congenial  companionship  ; 
the  dearth  of  intelligent  amusements  —  these  be  the  con- 
ditions that  make  all  but  the  stoutest  hearts  pause. 

But  the  stout  heart,  the  heart  that  loves  Alaska!  Pity 
him  not,  though  he  spend  all  the  winters  of  his  life  in  its 
snow-bound  fastnesses.  He  is  not  for  pity.  Joys  are  his 
of  which  those  that  pity  him  know  not. 

According  to  a  report  prepared  by  Lieutenant- Colonel 
Glassford,  of  the  United  States  Signal  Corps  Service,  on 
February  5,  1906,  the  temperature  was  twenty -six  degrees 
above  zero  in  Grand  Junction,  Colorado,  and  in  Salchia, 
Alaska  ;  twenty-two  degrees  in  Flagstaff,  Arizona,  Mem- 
phis, Salt  Lake,  Spokane,  and  Summit,  Alaska ;  fourteen 
degrees  in  Cairo,  Illinois,  Cincinnati,  Little  Rock,  Pitts- 
burgh, and  Delia,  Alaska  ;  twelve  degrees  in  Santa  Fe 
and  in  Fort  Egbert  and  Eagle,  on  the  Yukon  ;  ten  de- 
grees in  Helena,  Buffalo,  and  Workman's,  Alaska;  zero 
in  Denver,  Dodge,  Kansas,  and  Fairbanks  and  Chena, 
Alaska;   five    degrees   below   in    Dubuque,    Omaha,    and 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  261 

Copper  Centre  and  Matanuska,  Alaska  ;  ten  degrees  be- 
low in  Huron,  Michigan,  and  in  Gokona,  Alaska  ;  fifteen 
degrees  below  in  Bismarck,  St.  Paul,  and  in  Tanana 
Crossing,  Alaska ;  twenty  degrees  below  in  Fort  Brady, 
Michigan,  and  in  Ketchumstock,  Alaska. 

Statistics  giving  the  absolute  mean  minimum  tempera- 
ture in  the  capital  cities  of  the  United  States  prove  that 
out  of  the  forty-seven  cities,  thirty-one  were  as  cold  or 
colder  than  Sitka,  and  four  were  colder  than  Valdez. 

On  the  southern  coast  of  Alaska  there  are  few  points 
where  zero  is  recorded,  the  average  winter  weather  at  Ju- 
neau, Sitka,  Valdez,  and  Seward  being  milder  than  in  Wash- 
ington, D.C.  In  the  interior,  the  weather  is  much  colder, 
but  it  is  the  dry,  light  cold.  At  Fairbanks,  it  is  true 
that  the  thermometer  has  registered  sixty  degrees  below 
zero ;  but  it  has  done  the  same  in  the  Dakotas  and  other 
states,  and  is  unusual.  Severely  cold  weather  occurs  in 
Alaska  as  rarely  as  in  other  cold  countries,  and  remains 
but  a  few  days. 

Alaska  has  unfortunately  had  the  reputation  of  having 
an  unendurable  climate  thrust  upon  her,  first  by  such 
chill-blooded  navigators  as  Whidbey  and  Vancouver  ;  and 
later,  by  the  gold  seekers  who  rushed,  frenziedly,  into 
the  unsettled  wastes,  with  no  preparation  for  the  intense 
cold  which  at  times  prevails. 

Almost  every  winter  in  Wyoming,  Nebraska,  Montana, 
and  the  Dakotas,  children  of  the  prairies  and  their  teachers 
freeze  to  death  going  to  or  from  school,  and  it  is  accepted  as 
a  matter  of  course.  In  Alaska,  where  hundreds  of  men 
traverse  hundreds  of  miles  by  dog  sleds  and  snow-shoes, 
with  none  of  the  comforts  of  more  civilized  countries  and 
with  road  houses  few  and  far,  if  two  or  three  in  a  winter 
freeze  to  death,  the  tragedy  is  wired  to  all  parts  of  the 
world  as  another  mute  testimony  to  the  "  tremendously 
horrible  "  climate  of  Alaska. 


262       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  intense  heat,  of  which  dozens  of  people  perish 
every  summer  in  New  York  and  otlier  eastern  states  is 
unknown  in  Alaska.  Cyclones  and  cloud-bursts  are  un- 
chronicled.  Fatal  epidemics  of  disease  among  white 
people  have  never  yet  occurred. 

As  for  the  summer  climate  of  Alaska,  both  along  the 
coast  and  in  the  interior,  it  is  possessed  of  a  charm  and 
fascination  which  cannot  be  described  in  words. 

"  You  can  just  taste  the  Alaska  climate,"  said  an  old 
Klondiker,  on  a  White  Pass  and  Yukon  train.  We  were 
standing  between  cars,  clinging  to  the  brakes  —  sooty- 
eyed,  worn-out  with  joy  as  we  neared  White  Horse,  but 
standing  and  looking  still,  unwilling  to  lose  one  moment 
of  that  beautiful  trip. 

"It  tastes  different  every  hundred  miles,"  he  went  on, 
with  that  beam  in  his  eye  which  means  love  of  Alaska  in 
the  heart.  "  You  begun  to  taste  it  in  Grenville  Channel. 
It  tasted  different  in  Skagway,  and  there's  a  big  change 
when  you  get  to  White  Horse.  I  golly!  at  White  Horse, 
you'll  think  you  never  tasted  anything  like  it  ;  but  it 
don't  hold  a  candle  there  to  the  way  it. tastes  going  down 
the  Yukon.  If  you  happen  to  get  into  the  Ar'tic  Circle, 
say,  about  two  in  the  morning,  you  dress  yourself  and 
hike  out  on  deck,  an'  I  darn!  you  can  taste  more'n  cli- 
mate. You  can  taste  the  Ar'tic  Circle  itself !  Say,  can 
you  guess  what  it  tastes  like  ?  " 

I  could  not  guess  what  the  Arctic  Circle  tasted  like, 
and  frankly  confessed  it. 

"Well,  say,  weepin'  Sinew!  It  tastes  like  icicles  made 
out  of  them  durn  little  blue  flowers  you  call  voylets.  I 
picked  some  out  from  under  the  snow  once,  an'  eat  'em. 
There  was  moisture  froze  all  over  'em  —  so  I  know  how 
they  taste;  and  that's  the  way  the  Ar'tic  Circle  tastes, 
with — well,  maybe  a  little  rum  mixed  in,  the  way  they 
fix  things  up  at  the  Butler  down  in  Seattle.     I  darn!  .  .  . 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  263 

Just  you  remember,  when  you  get  to  the  Circle,  an'  say, 
straight  goods,  if  Cyanide  Bill  ain't  right." 

"  Talkin'  about  climate,"  he  resumed,  as  the  train  hesi- 
tated in  passing  the  Grand  Canyon,  "there's  a  well  at 
White  Horse  that's  got  the  climate  of  the  hull  Yukon 
country  in  it.  It's  about  two  blocks  toward  the  rapids 
from  White  Pass  Hotel.  It  stands  on  a  vacant  lot  about 
fifty  steps  from  the  sidewalk,  on  your  right  hand  goin' 
toward  the  Rapids.  Well,  I  darn  !  I've  traipsed  over 
every  country  on  this  earth,  an'  I  never  tasted  such  water. 
Not  anywheres  !  You  see,  it's  dug  right  down  into  solid 
ice  an'  the  sun  just  melts  out  a  little  water  at  a  time,  an' 
everything  nice  in  Alaska  tastes  in  that  water  —  ice  an' 
snow,  an'  flowers  an'  sun  —  " 

"  Do  you  write  poetry  ?  "  I  asked,  smiling. 

His  face  lightened. 

"  No;  but  say  — there's  a  young  fellow  in  White  Horse 
that  does.  He's  wrote  a  whole  book  of  it.  His  name's 
Robert  Service.  Say,  I'd  shoot  up  anybody  that  said  his 
poetry  wasn't  the  real  thing." 

"  I'm  sure  it  is,"  said  I,  hastily. 

"  You  bet  it  is.  You  can  hear  the  Yukon  roar,  an'  the 
ice  break  up  an'  go  down  the  river,  standin'  up  on  end  in 
chunks  twenty  feet  high,  an'  carr3an'  everything  with  it ; 
you  can  wade  through  miles  an'  miles  of  flowers  an'  gether 
your  hands  full  of  'em  an'  think  there's  a  woman  some- 
where waitin'  for  you  to  take  'em  to  her  ;  you  can  tromp 
through  tundra  an'  over  rocks  till  your  feet  bleed  ;  you  can 
go  blind  lookin'  for  gold  ;  you  can  get  kissed  by  the  pretti- 
est girl  in  a  Dawson  dance  hall,  an'  then  get  jilted  for  some 
younger  fellow  ;  you  can  hear  glaciers  grindin'  up,  an' 
avylanches  tearin'  down  the  mountains  ;  you  can  starve  to 
death  an'  freeze  to  death  ;  you  can  strike  a  gold  mine  an' 
go  home  to  your  fambly  a  millionnaire  an'  have  'em  like  you 
again  ;  you  can  drink  champagne  an'  eat  sour-dough ;  you 


264  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

can  feel  the  heart  break  up  inside  of  you  —  an'  yes,  I  God  ! 
you  can  go  down  on  your  knees  an'  say  your  prayers  again 
like  your  mother  showed  you  how  !  You  can  do  every 
one  of  them  damn  fool  things  when  you're  readin'  that 
Service  fellow's  poetry.  So  that's  why  I'm  ready  to  shoot 
up  anybody  that  says,  or  intimates,  that  his  poetry  ain't 
the  genuine  article." 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

Port  Valdez  —  or  the  Puerto  de  Valdes,  as  it  was 
named  by  Vancouver  after  Whidbey's  exploration  —  is  a 
fiord  twelve  miles  long  and  of  a  beauty  that  is  simply  en- 
chanting. 

On  a  clear  day  it  winds  like  a  pale  blue  ribbon  between 
colossal  mountains  of  snow,  with  glaciers  streaming  down 
to  the  water  at  every  turn.  The  peaks  rise,  one  after  an- 
other, sheer  from  the  water,  pearl-white  from  summit  to 
base. 

It  has  been  my  happiness  and  my  good  fortune  always 
to  sail  this  fiord  on  a  clear  day.  The  water  has  been  as 
smooth  as  satin,  with  a  faint  silvery  tinge,  as  of  frost, 
shimmering  over  its  blue. 

At  the  end.  Port  Valdez  widens  into  a  bay,  and  upon 
the  bay,  in  the  shadow  of  her  mountains,  and  shaded  by 
her  trees,  is  Valdez. 

Valdez!  The  mere  mention  of  the  name  is  sufficient  to 
send  visions  of  loveliness  glimmering  through  the  memory. 
Through  a  soft  blur  of  rose-lavender  mist  shine  houses, 
glacier,  log-cabins,  and  the  tossing  green  of  trees  ;  the 
wild,  white  glacial  torrents  pouring  down  around  the 
town  ;  and  the  pearly  peaks  linked  upon  the  sky. 

Valdez  was  founded  in  1898.  During  the  early  rush 
to  the  Klondike,  one  of  the  routes  taken  was  directly 
over  the  glacier.  In  1898  about  three  thousand  people 
landed  at  the  upper  end  of  Port  Valdez,  followed  the 
glacier,  crossed  over  the  summit  of  the  Chugach  Moun- 

265 


266       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tains,  and  thence  down  a  fork  of  the  Copper  River.  The 
route  was  dangerous,  and  attended  by  many  hardships 
and  real  suffering. 

At  first  hundreds  of  tents  whitened  the  level  plain  at 
the  foot  of  the  glacier  ;  then,  one  by  one,  cabins  were 
built,  stocks  were  brought  in  for  trading  purposes, 
saloons  and  dance  halls  sprang  up  in  a  night,  —  and 
Valdez  was. 

In  this  year  Captain  Abercrombie,  of  the  United  States 
Army,  crossed  the  glacier  with  his  entire  party  of  men 
and  horses  and  reached  the  Xanana.  In  the  following 
year,  surveys  were  made  under  his  direction  for  a  military 
wagon  trail  over  the  Chugach  Mountains  from  Valdez  to 
the  Xanana,  and  during  the  following  three  years  this 
trail  was  constructed. 

It  has  proved  to  be  of  the  greatest  possible  benefit,  not 
only  to  the  vast  country  tributary  to  Valdez,  but  to  the 
various  Yukon  districts,  and  to  Nome.  After  many  ex- 
periments, it  has  been  chosen  by  the  government  as  the 
winter  route  for  the  distribution  of  mail  to  the  interior  of 
Alaska  and  to  Nome.  Steamers  make  connection  with  a 
regular  line  of  stages  and  sleighs.  Xhere  are  frequent 
and  comfortable  road  houses,  and  the  danger  of  accident 
is  not  nearly  so  great  as  it  is  in  travelling  by  railway  in 
the  eastern  states. 

Xhe  Valdez  military  trail  follows  Lowe  River  and  Key- 
stone Canyon.  Xhrough  the  canyon  the  trail  is  only  wide 
enough  for  pack  trains,  and  travel  is  by  the  frozen  river. 

Xhe  Signal  Corps  of  the  Army  has  constructed  many 
hundreds  of  miles  of  telegraph  lines  since  the  beginning 
of  the  present  decade.  Nome,  the  Yukon,  Xanana,  and 
Copper  River  valleys  are  all  connected  with  Valdez  and 
with  Dawson  by  telegraph.  Nome  has  outside  connec- 
tion by  wireless,  and  all  the  coast  towns  are  in  communi- 
cation with  Seattle  by  cable. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  267 

The  climate  of  Valdez  is  delifyhtful  in  summer.  In 
winter  it  is  ten  degrees  colder  than  at  Sitka,  with  good 
sleighing.  The  annual  precipitation  is  fifty  per  cent  less 
than  along  the  southeastern  coast.  Snow  falls  from  No- 
vember to  April. 

The  long  winter  nights  are  not  disagreeable.  The 
moon  and  the  stars  are  larger  and  more  brilliant  in 
Alaska  than  can  be  imagined  by  one  who  has  not  seen 
them,  and,  with  the  changeful  colors  of  the  Aurora  playing 
upon  the  snow,  turn  the  northern  world  into  Fairyland. 

Valdez  has  a  population  of  about  twenty-five  hundred 
people.  It  is  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of 
Sitka,  and  eighteen  hundred  miles  from  Seattle.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  most  northern  port  in  the  world  that  is 
open  to  navigation  the  entire  year. 

There  are  two  good  piers  to  deep  water,  besides  one  at 
the  new  town  site,  an  electric  light  plant  and  telephone 
system,  two  newspapers,  a  hospital,  creditable  churches 
of  five  or  six  denominations,  a  graded  school,  private 
club-rooms,  a  library,  a  brewery,  several  hotels  and  res- 
taurants, public  halls,  a  court-house,  several  merchandise 
stores  carrying  stocks  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  a  tin  and  sheet  metal  factory,  saw-mills,  — 
and  almost  every  business,  industry,  and  profession  is 
well  represented.  There  are  saloons  without  end,  and 
dance  halls ;  a  saloon  in  Alaska  that  excludes  women  is  not 
known,  but  good  order  prevails  and  disturbances  are  rare. 

The  homes  are,  for  the  most  part,  small,  —  building 
being  excessively  high,  —  but  pretty,  comfortable,  and 
frequently  artistic.  There  are  flower-gardens  everywhere. 
There  is  no  log-cabin  so  humble  that  its  bit  of  garden- 
spot  is  not  a  blaze  of  vivid  color.  Every  window  has  its 
box  of  bloom.  La  France  roses  were  in  bloom  in  July  in 
the  garden  of  ex- Governor  Leedy,  of  Kansas,  whose  home 
is  now  in  Valdez. 


268       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  civilization  of  the  town  is  of  the  highest.  The 
whole  world  might  go  to  Alaska  and  learn  a  lesson  in  gen- 
uine, simple,  refined  hospitality  —  for  its  key-note  is  kind- 
ness of  heart. 

The  visitor  soon  learns  that  he  must  be  chary  of  his  ad- 
miration of  one  of  the  curios  on  his  host's  wall,  lest  he  be 
begged  to  accept  it. 

The  Tillicum  Club  is  known  in  all  parts  of  Alaska.  It 
has  a  very  comfortable  club-house,  where  all  visitors  of 
note  to  the  town  are  entertained.  The  club  occasionally 
has  what  its  own  self  calls  a  "  dry  night,"  when  ladies  are 
entertained  with  cards  and  music.  (The  adjective  does 
not  apply  to  the  entertainment.) 

The  dogs  of  Valdez  are  interesting.  They  are  large, 
and  of  every  color  known  to  dogdom,  the  malamutes  pre- 
dominating. They  are  all  "heroes  of  the  trail,"  and  are 
respected  and  treated  as  "good  fellows."  They  lie  by 
twos  and  threes  clear  across  the  narrow  board  sidewalks  ; 
and  unless  one  understands  the  language  of  the  trail,  it  is 
easier  to  walk  around  them  or  to  jump  over  them  than  it 
is  to  persuade  them  to  move.  A  string  of  oaths,  followed 
by  '■'■Mush!'''  all  delivered  like  the  crack  of  a  whip,  brings 
quick  results.  The  dogs  hasten  to  the  pier,  on  a  long, 
wolflike  lope,  when  the  whistle  of  a  steamer  is  heard,  and 
offer  the  hospitality  of  the  town  to  the  stranger,  with 
waving  tails  and  saluting  tongues. 

It  is  a  heavy  expense  to  feed  these  dogs  in  Alaska,  yet 
few  men  are  known  to  be  so  mean  as  to  grudge  this  ex- 
pense to  dogs  who  have  faithfully  served  them,  frequently 
saving  their  lives,  on  tlie  trail. 

The  situation  of  Valdez  is  absolutely  unique.  The 
dauntlessness  of  a  city  that  would  boldly  found  itself 
upon  a  glacier  has  proved  too  much  for  even  the  glacier, 
and  it  is  rapidly  withdrawing,  as  if  to  make  room  for  its 
intrepid  rival  in  interest.     Yet  it    still   is  so  close  that, 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  269 

from  the  water,  it  appears  as  though  one  might  reach  out 
and  touch  it.  The  wide  blue  bay  sparkles  in  front,  and 
snow  peaks  surround  it. 

Beautiful,  oh,  most  beautiful,  are  those  peaks  at  dawn, 
at  sunset,  at  midnight,  at  noon.  The  summer  nights  in 
Valdez  are  never  dark ;  and  I  have  often  stood  at  mid- 
night and  watched  the  amethyst  lights  on  the  mountains 
darken  to  violet,  purple,  black,  —  while  the  peaks  them- 
selves stood  white  and  still,  softly  outlined  against  the  sky. 

But  in  winter,  when  mountains,  glacier,  city,  trees,  lie 
white  and  sparkling  beneath  the  large  and  brilliant  stars, 
and  the  sea  alone  is  dark — to  stand  then  and  see  the  great 
golden  moon  rising  slowly,  vibrating,  pushing,  oh,  so 
silently,  so  beautifully,  above  the  clear  line  of  snow  into 
the  dark  blue  sky  —  that  is  worth  ten  years  of  living. 

"  Why  do  you  not  go  out  to  '  the  states,'  as  so  many 
other  ladies  do  in  winter  ?  "  I  asked  a  grave-eyed  young 
wife  on  my  first  visit,  not  knowing  that  she  belonged  to 
the  great  Alaskan  order  of  "  Stout  Hearts  and  Strong 
Hearts"  —  the  only  order  in  Alaska  that  is  for  women 
and  men. 

She  looked  at  me  and  smiled.  Her  eyes  went  to  the 
mountains,  and  they  grew  almost  as  wistful  and  sweet 
as  the  eyes  of  a  young  mother  watching  her  sleeping  child. 
Then  they  came  back  to  me,  grave  and  kind. 

"  Oh,"  said  she,  "how  can  I  tell  you  why  ?  You  have 
never  seen  the  moon  come  over  those  mountains  in  winter, 
nor  the  winter  stars  shining  above  the  sea." 

That  was  all.  She  could  not  put  it  into  words  more 
clearly  than  that  ;  but  he  that  runs  may  read. 

The  site  of  Valdez  is  as  level  as  a  parade  ground  to  the 
bases  of  the  near  mountains,  which  rise  in  sheer,  bold 
sweeps.  A  line  of  alders,  willows,  cotton  woods,  and  balms 
follows  the  glacial  stream  that  flows  down  to  the  sea  on 
each  side  of  the  town. 


270  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  glacier  behind  the  town  —  now  called  a  "  dead  " 
glacier  —  once  discharged  bergs  directly  into  the  sea. 
The  soil  upon  which  the  town  is  built  is  all  glacial  de- 
posit. Flowers  spring  up  and  bloom  in  a  day.  Vegeta- 
bles thrive  and  are  crisp  and  delicious  —  particularly 
lettuce. 

Society  is  gay  in  Valdez,  as  in  most  Alaskan  towns. 
Fort  Liscum  is  situated  across  the  bay,  so  near  that  the 
distance  between  is  travelled  in  fifteen  minutes  by  launch. 
Dances,  receptions,  card-parties,  and  dinners,  at  Valdez 
and  at  the  fort,  occur  several  times  each  week,  and  the 
social  line  is  drawn  as  rigidly  here  as  in  larger  communi- 
ties. 

There  is  always  a  dance  in  Valdez  on  "  steamer  night." 
The  officers  and  their  wives  come  over  from  the  fort ;  the 
officers  of  the  ship  are  invited,  as  are  any  passengers  who 
may  bear  letters  of  introduction  or  who  may  be  introduced 
by  the  captain  of  the  ship.  A  large  and  brightly  lighted 
ballroom,  beautiful  women,  handsomely  and  fashionably 
gowned,  good  music,  and  a  genuine  spirit  of  hospitality 
make  these  functions  brilliant. 

The  women  of  Alaska  dress  more  expensively  than  in 
"the  states."  Paris  gowns,  the  most  costly  furs,  and 
dazzling  jewels  are  everywhere  seen  in  the  larger  towns. 

All  travellers  in  Alaska  unite  in  enthusiastic  praise  of 
its  unique  and  generous  hospitality.  From  the  time  of 
Baranoff's  lavish,  and  frequently  embarrassing,  banquets  to 
the  refined  entertainments  of  to-day,  northern  hospitality 
has  been  a  proverb. 

"  Petnatchit  copla  "  is  still  the  open  sesame. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

The  trip  over  "the  trail"  from  Valdez  to  the  Tanana 
country  is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  in  Alaska. 

At  seven  o'clock  of  a  July  morning  five  horses  stood  at 
our  hotel  door.  Two  gentlemen  of  Valdez  had  volunteered 
to  act  as  escort  to  the  tliree  ladies  in  our  party  for  a  trip 
over  the  trail. 

I  examined  with  suspicion  the  red-bay  horse  that  had 
been  assigned  to  me. 

"  Is  he  gentle  ?  "  1  asked  of  one  of  the  gentlemen. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  You  can't  take  any  one's  word 
about  a  horse  in  Alaska.  They  call  regular  buckers 
'gentle'  up  here.  The  only  way  to  find  out  is  to  try 
them." 

This  was  encouraging. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  said  one  of  the  other  ladies, 
"that  you  don't  know  whether  these  horses  have  ever 
been  ridden  by  women  ?  " 

"No,  I  do  not  know." 

She  sat  down  on  the  steps. 

"  Then  there's  no  trail  for  me.  I  don't  know  how  to 
ride  nor  to  manage  a  horse." 

After  many  moments  of  persuasion,  we  got  her  upon  a 
mild-eyed  horse,  saddled  with  a  cross-saddle.  The  other 
lady  and  myself  had  chosen  side-saddles,  despite  the  as- 
surance of  almost  every  man  in  Valdez  that  we  could  not 
get  over  the  trail  sitting  a  horse  sidewise,  without  ac- 
cident. 

271 


272  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"  Your  skirt'll  catch  in  the  bi*ush  and  pull  you  off,"  said 
one,  cheerfully. 

"  Your  feet'll  hit  against  the  rocks  in  the  canyon,"  said 
another. 

"  You  can't  balance  as  even  on  a  horse's  back,  sideways, 
and  if  you  don't  balance  even  along  the  precipice  in  the 
canyon,  your  horse'll  go  over,"  said  a  third. 

"  Your  horse  is  sure  to  roll  over  once  or  twice  in  the 
glacier  streams,  and  you  can  save  yourself  if  you're  riding 
astride,"  said  a  fourth. 

"  You're  certain  to  get  into  quicksand  somewhere  on 
the  trip,  and  if  all  your  weight  is  on  one  side  of  your 
horse,  you'll  pull  him  down  and  he'll  fall  on  top  of  you," 
said  a  fifth. 

In  the  face  of  all  these  cheerful  horrors,  our  escort  said:  — 

"  Ride  any  way  you  please.  If  a  woman  can  keep  her 
head,  she  will  pull  through  everything  in  Alaska.  Be- 
sides, we  are  not  going  along  for  nothing  !  " 

So  we  chose  side-saddles,  that  having  been  our  manner 
of  riding  since  childhood. 

We  had  waited  three  weeks  for  the  glacial  flood  at  the 
eastern  side  of  tlie  town  to  subside,  and  could  wait  no 
longer.  It  was  roaring  within  ten  steps  of  the  back  door 
of  our  hotel ;  and  in  two  minutes  after  mounting,  before 
our  feet  were  fairly  settled  in  the  stirrups,  we  had  ridden 
down  the  sloping  bank  into  the  boiling,  white  waters. 

One  of  the  gentlemen  rode  ahead  as  guide.  I  watched 
his  big  horse  go  down  in  the  flood  —  down,  down ;  the 
water  rose  to  its  knees,  to  its  rider's  feet,  to  his  knees  — 

He  turned  his  head  and  called  cheerfully,  "  Come  on  !  " 
and  we  went  on  —  one  at  a  time,  as  still  as  the  dead,  save 
for  the  splashing  and  snorting  of  our  horses.  I  felt  the 
water,  icy  cold,  rising  high,  higher ;  it  almost  washed  my 
foot  from  the  red-slippered  stirrup ;  then  I  felt  it  mount- 
ing higher,  my  skirts  floated  out  on  the  flood,  and  then  fell, 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  273 

limp,  about  me.  My  glance  kept  flying  from  my  horse's 
head  to  our  guide,  and  back  again.  He  was  tall,  and  his 
horse  was  tall. 

"  When  it  reaches  his  waist,"  was  my  agonized  thought, 
"  it  will  be  over  7n^  head!  " 

The  other  gentleman  rode  to  my  side. 

"  Keep  a  firm  hold  of  your  bridle,"  said  he,  gravely, 
"  and  watch  your  horse.     If  he  falls  —  " 

"Falls!     Inhere!'' 

"  They  do  sometimes ;  one  must  be  prepared.  If  he 
falls  —  of  course  you  can  swim  ?  " 

"I  never  swam  a  stroke  in  my  life ;  I  never  even  tried!  " 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  "  said  he,  in  astonishment.  "  Wh3%  we 
would  not  have  advised  you  to  come  at  this  time  if  we  had 
known  that.  We  took  it  for  granted  that  you  wouldn't 
think  of  going  unless  you  could  swim." 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  sarcastically,  "  do  all  the  women  in  Valdez 
swim  ?  " 

"No,"  he  answered,  gravely,  "but  then,  they  don't  go 
over  the  trail.  Well,  we  can  only  hope  that  he  will  not 
fall.     When  he  breaks  into  a  swim  —  " 

"  Swim  I     Will  he  do  that  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  he  is  liable  to  swim  any  minute  now." 

"What  will  I  do  then  ?  "  I  asked,  quite  humbly  ;  I  could 
hear  tears  in  my  own  voice.  He  must  have  heard  them, 
too,  his  voice  was  so  kind  as  he  answered. 

"  Sit  as  quietly  and  as  evenly  as  possible,  and  lean 
slightly  forward  in  the  saddle ;  then  trust  to  heaven  and 
give  him  his  head." 

"  Does  he  give  you  any  warning?  " 

"Not  the  faintest  —  ah-h!  " 

Well  might  he  say  "  ah-h  !  "  for  my  horse  was  swim- 
ming. Well  might  we  all  say  "  ah-h  !  "  for  one  wild 
glance  ahead  revealed  to  my  glimmering  vision  that  all 
our  horses  were  swimming. 


274  ALA  SKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

I  never  knew  before  that  horses  swam  so  low  down  in 
the  water.  I  wished  when  I  could  see  nothing  but  my 
horse's  ears  that  I  had  not  been  so  stubborn  about  the 
saddle. 

The  water  itself  was  different  from  any  water  I  had 
ever  seen.  It  did  not  flow  like  a  river  ;  it  boiled,  seethed, 
rushed,  whirled  ;  it  pushed  up  into  an  angry  bulk  that 
came  down  over  us  like  a  deluge.  I  had  let  go  of  my 
reins  and,  leaning  forward  in  the  saddle,  was  clinging  to 
my  horse's  mane.  The  rapidly  flowing  water  gave  me 
the  impression  that  we  were  being  swept  down  the  stream. 

The  roaring  grew  louder  in  my  ears  ;  I  was  so  dizzy 
that  I  could  no  longer  distinguish  any  object  ;  there  was 
just  a  blur  of  brown  and  white  water,  rising,  falling,  about 
me  ;  the  sole  thought  that  remained  was  that  I  was  being 
swept  out  to  sea  with  my  struggling  horse. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  shock  which,  to  my  tortured 
nerves,  seemed  like  a  ship  striking  on  a  rock.  It  was 
some  time  before  I  realized  that  it  had  been  caused  by 
my  horse  striking  bottom.  He  was  walking  —  staggering. 
rather,  and  plunging  ;  his  whole  neck  appeared,  then  his 
shoulders  ;  I  released  his  mane  mechanically,  as  I  had 
acted  in  all  things  since  mounting,  and  gathered  up  the 
reins. 

"  That  was  a  nasty  one,  wasn't  it  ?  "  said  my  escort, 
joining  me.  "  I  stayed  behind  to  be  of  service  if  you  re- 
quired it.  We're  getting  out  now,  but  there  are,  at  least, 
ten  or  fifteen  as  bad  on  the  trail — if  not  worse." 

As  if  anything  could  be  worse! 

I  chanced  to  lift  my  eyes  then,  and  I  got  a  clear  view 
of  the  ladies  ahead  of  me.  Their  appearance  was  of  such 
a  nature  that  I  at  once  looked  myself  over  —  and  saw  my- 
self as  others  saw  me  !  It  was  the  first  and  only  time 
that  I  have  ever  wished  myself  at  home  when  I  have  been 
travelling  in  Alaska. 


ALASKA:    TEE    GREAT    COUNTRY  275 

"  Cheer  up  !  "  called  our  guide,  over  his  broad  shoulder. 
"The  worst  is  yet  to  come." 

He  spoke  more  truthfully  than  even  he  knew.  '  There 
was  one  stream  after  another  —  and  each  seemed  really 
worse  than  the  one  that  went  before.  From  Valdez  Gla- 
cier the  ice,  melted  by  the  hot  July  sun,  was  pouring  out 
in  a  dozen  streams  that  spread  over  the  immense  flats  be- 
tween the  town  and  the  mouth  of  Lowe  River.  There 
were  miles  and  miles  of  it.  Scarcely  would  we  struggle 
out  of  one  place  that  had  been  washed  out  deep — and 
how  deep,  we  never  knew  until  we  were  into  it  —  when 
we  would  be  compelled  to  plunge  into  another. 

At  last,  wet  and  chilled,  after  several  narrow  escapes 
from  whirlpools  and  quicksand,  we  reached  a  level  road 
leading  through  a  cool  wood  for  several  miles.  From 
this,  of  a  sudden,  we  began  to  climb.  So  steep  was  the 
ascent  and  so  narrow  the  path — no  wider  than  the  horse's 
feet — that  my  horse  seemed  to  have  a  series  of  movable 
humps  on  him,  like  a  camel  ;  and  riding  sidewise,  I  could 
only  lie  forward  and  cling  desperately  to  his  mane,  to 
avoid  a  shameful  descent  over  his  tail. 

Actually,  there  were  steps  cut  in  the  hard  soil  for  the 
horses  to  climb  upon!  They  pulled  themselves  up  with 
powerful  plunges.  On  both  sides  of  this  narrow  path  the 
grass  or  "  feed, "  as  it  is  called,  grew  so  tall  that  we 
could  not  see  one  another's  heads  above  it,  as  we  rode  ; 
yet  it  had  been  growing  only  six  weeks. 

Mingling  with  young  alders,  fireweed,  devil's-club  and 
elder-berry  —  the  latter  sprayed  out  in  scarlet  —  it  formed 
a  network  across  our  path,  through  which  we  could  only 
force  our  way  with  closed  eyes,  blind  as  Love. 

Bad  as  the  ascent  was,  the  sudden  descent  was  worse. 
The  horse's  humps  all  turned  the  other  way,  and  we  turned 
with  them.  It  was  only  by  constant  watchfulness  that 
we  kept  ourselves  from  sliding  over  their  heads. 


276  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

After  another  ascent,  we  emerged  into  the  open  upon 
the  brow  of  a  cliff.  Below  us  stretched  the  valley  of  the 
Lowe  River.  Thousands  of  feet  below  wound  and  looped 
the  blue  reaches  of  the  river,  set  here  and  there  with 
islands  of  glistening  sand  or  rosy  fireweed  ;  while  over  all 
trailed  the  silver  mists  of  morning.  One  elderberry  is- 
land was  so  set  with  scarlet  sprays  of  berries  that  from 
our  height  no  foliage  could  be  seen. 

After  this  came  a  scented,  primeval  forest,  through 
which  we  rode  in  silence.  Its  charm  was  too  elusive  for 
speech.  Our  horses'  feet  sank  into  the  moss  without 
sound.  There  was  no  underbrush ;  only  dim  aisles  and 
arcades  fashioned  from  the  gray  trunks  of  trees.  The 
pale  green  foliage  floating  above  us  completely  shut  out 
the  sun.  Soft  gray,  mottled  moss  dripped  from  the 
limbs  and  branches  of  the  spruce  trees  in  delicate,  lacy 
festoons. 

Soon  after  emerging  from  this  dreamlike  wood  we 
reached  Camp  Comfort,  where  we  paused  for  lunch. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  comfortable  road  houses  in 
Alaska.  It  is  situated  in  a  low,  green  valley ;  the  river 
winds  in  front,  and  snow  mountains  float  around  it.  The 
air  is  very  sweet. 

It  is  only  ten  miles  from  Valdez ;  but  those  ten  miles 
are  equal  to  fifty  in  taxing  the  endurance. 

We  found  an  excellent  vegetable  garden  at  Camp  Com- 
fort. Pansies  and  other  flowers  were  as  large  and  fra- 
grant as  I  have  ever  seen,  the  coloring  of  the  pansies 
being  unusually  rich.  They  told  us  that  only  two  other 
women  had  passed  over  the  trail  during  the  summer. 

While  our  lunch  was  being  prepared,  we  stood  about 
the  immense  stove  in  the  immense  living  room  and  tried 
to  dry  our  clothing. 

This  room  was  at  least  thirty  feet  square.  It  had  a 
high  ceiling  and  a  rough  board  floor.     In  one  corner  was 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  277 

a  piano,  in  another  a  phonograph.  The  ceiling  was  hung 
with  all  kinds  of  trail  apparel  used  by  men,  including 
long  boots  and  heavy  stockings,  guns  and  otlier  weapons, 
and  other  articles  that  added  a  picturesque,  and  even 
startling,  touch  to  the  big  room. 

In  one  end  was  a  bench,  buckets  of  water,  tin  cups 
hanging  on  nails,  washbowls,  and  a  little  wavy  mirror 
swaying  on  the  wall.  The  gentlemen  of  our  party  played 
the  phonograph  while  we  removed  the  dust  and  mud  which 
we  had  gathered  ou  our  journey ;  afterward,  we  played 
the  phonograph. 

Then  we  all  stood  happily  about  the  stove  to  "dry 
out,"  and  listened  to  our  host's  stories  of  the  miners  who 
came  out  from  the  Tanana  country,  laden  with  gold. 
As  many  as  seventy  men,  each  bearing  a  fortune,  have 
slept  at  Camp  Comfort  on  a  single  night.  We  slept  there 
ourselves,  on  our  return  journey,  but  our  riches  were  in 
other  things  than  gold,  and  there  was  no  need  to  guard 
them.  Any  man  or  woman  may  go  to  Alaska  and  enrich 
himself  or  herself  forever,  as  we  did,  if  he  or  she  have  the 
desire.  Not  only  is  there  no  need  to  guard  our  riches, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  glad  to  give  freely  to  whom- 
soever would  have. 

Each  man,  we  were  told,  had  his  own  way  of  caring  for 
his  gold.  One  leaned  a  gunnysack  full  of  it  outside  the 
house,  where  it  stood  all  night  unguarded,  supposed  to 
be  a  sack  of  old  clothing,  from  the  carelessness  with  which 
it  was  left  there.  The  owner  slept  calmly  in  the  attic, 
surrounded  by  men  whose  gold  made  their  hard  pillows. 

They  told  us,  too,  of  the  men  who  came  back,  dull-eyed 
and  empty-handed,  discouraged  and  footsore.  They  slept 
long  and  heavily  ;  there  was  nothing  for  them  to  guard. 

Every  road  house  has  its  "  talking-machine,"  with  many 
of  the  most  expensive  records.  No  one  can  appreciate  one 
of  these  machines  until  he  goes  to  Alaska.     Its  influence 


278       ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

is  not  to  be  estimated  in  those  far,  lonely  places,  where 
other  music  is  not. 

In  a  big  store  "  to  Westward  "  we  witnessed  a  scene 
that  would  touch  any  heart.  The  room  was  filled  with 
people.  There  were  passengers  and  officers  from  the 
ship,  miners,  Russian  half-breeds,  and  full-blooded  Aleuts. 
After  several  records  had  filled  the  room  with  melody, 
Calve, herself,  sang  "The  Old  Folks  At  Home."  As  that 
voice  of  golden  velvet  rose  and  fell,  the  unconscious  work- 
ings of  the  faces  about  me  spelled  out  their  life  tragedies. 
At  last,  one  big  fellow  in  a  blue  flannel  shirt  started  for 
the  door.  As  he  reached  it,  another  man  caught  his 
sleeve  and  whispered  huskily :  — 

"  Where  you  goin'.  Bill  ?  " 

"  Oh,  anywheres,"  he  made  answer,  roughly,  to  cover 
his  emotion ;  "  anywheres,  so's  I  can't  hear  that  damn 
piece,"  —  and  it  was  not  one  of  the  least  of  Calve's 
compliments. 

Music  in  Alaska  brings  the  thought  of  home  ;  and  it  is 
the  thought  of  home  that  plays  upon  the  heart-strings 
of  the  North.  The  hunger  is  always  there,  —  hidden, 
repressed,  but  waiting,  —  and  at  the  first  touch  of  music 
it  leaps  forth  and  casts  its  shadow  upon  the  face.  Who 
knows  but  that  it  is  this  very  heart-hunger  that  puts  the 
universal  human  look  into  Alaskan  eyes  ? 

After  a  good  lunch  at  Camp  Comfort,  we  resumed  our 
journey.  There  was  another  bit  of  enchanting  forest ; 
then,  of  a  sudden,  we  were  in  the  famed  Keystone  Canyon. 

Here,  the  scenery  is  enthralling.  Solid  walls  of  shaded 
gray  stone  rise  straight  from  the  river  to  a  height  of  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  feet.  Along  one  cliff  winds 
the  trail,  in  many  places  no  wider  than  the  horses'  feet. 
One  feels  that  he  must  only  breatlie  with  the  land  side 
of  him,  lest  the  mere  weight  of  his  breath  on  the  other 
side  should  topple  him  over  the  sheer,  dizzy  precipice. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  279 

It  was  amusing  to  see  every  woman  lean  toward  the 
rock  cliff.  Not  for  all  the  gold  of  the  Klondike  would  I 
have  willingly  given  one  look  down  into  the  gulf,  sinking 
away,  almost  under  my  horse's  feet.  Somewhere  in  those 
purple  depths  I  knew  that  the  river  was  roaring,  white 
and  swollen,  between  its  narrow  stone  walls. 

Now  and  then,  as  we  turned  a  sharp,  narrow  corner,  I 
could  not  help  catching  a  glimpse  of  it ;  for  a  moment, 
horse  and  rider,  as  we  turned,  Avould  seem  to  hang  sus- 
pended above  it  with  no  strip  of  earth  between.  There 
were  times,  when  we  were  approaching  a  curve,  that  there 
seemed  to  be  nothing  ahead  of  us  but  a  chasm  that  went 
sinking  dizzily  away  ;  no  solid  place  whereon  the  horse 
might  set  his  feet.  It  was  like  a  nightmare  in  which  one 
hangs  half  over  a  precipice,  struggling  so  hard  to  recover 
himself  that  his  heart  almost  bursts  with  the  effort. 

Then,  while  I  held  my  breath  and  blindly  trusted  to 
heaven,  the  curve  would  be  turned  and  the  path  would 
glimmer  once  more  before  my  eyes. 

But  one  false  step  of  the  horse,  one  tiniest  rock-slide 
striking  his  feet,  one  unexpected  sound  to  startle  him  — 
the  mere  thought  of  these  possibilities  made  my  heart 
stop  beating. 

We  finally  reached  a  place  where  the  descent  was 
almost  perpendicular  and  the  trail  painfully  narrow.  The 
horses  sank  to  their  haunches  and  slid  down,  taking  gravel 
and  stones  down  with  them.  I  had  been  imploring  to  be 
permitted  to  walk ;  but  now,  being  far  in  advance  of  all 
but  one,  I  did  not  ask  permission.  I  simply  slipped  off 
my  horse  and  left  him  for  the  others  to  bring  with  them. 
The  gentleman  with  me  was  forced  to  do  the  same. 

We  paused  for  a  time  to  rest  and  to  enjoy  the  most 
beautiful  waterfall  I  saw  in  Alaska — Bridal  Veil.  It  is 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  canyon,  and  has  a  slow,  musi- 
cal fall  of  six  hundred  feet. 


280  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

When  we  went  on,  the  other  members  of  our  partj^  had 
not  3et  come  up  witli  us,  nor  had  our  horses  appeared. 
In  the  narrowest  of  all  narrow  phices  I  was  walking  ahead, 
when,  turning  a  sharp  corner,  we  met  a  government  pack 
train,  face  to  face. 

The  bell-horse  stood  still  and  looked  at  me  with  big 
eyes,  evidently  as  scared  at  the  sight  of  a  woman  as  an 
old  prospector  who  has  not  seen  one  for  years. 

I  looked  at  him  with  eyes  as  big  as  his  own.  There 
was  only  one  thing  to  do.  Behind  us  was  a  narrow,  V- 
shaped  cave  in  the  stone  wall,  not  more  than  four  feet 
high  and  three  deep.  Into  this  we  backed,  Grecian-bend 
wise,  and  waited. 

We  waited  a  very  long  time.  The  horse  stood  still, 
blowing  his  breath  loudly  from  steaming  nostrils,  and  con- 
templated us.  I  never  knew  before  that  a  horse  could 
express  his  opinion  of  a  person  so  plainly.  Around  the 
curve  we  could  hear  whips  cracking  and  men  swearing ; 
but  the  horse  stood  there  and  kept  his  suspicious  eyes  on  me. 

"  I'll  stay  here  till  dark,"  his  eyes  said,  "  but  you  don't 
get  me  past  a  thing  like  that ! "' 

I  didn't  mind  his  looking,  but  his  snorting  seemed  like 
an  insult. 

At  last  a  man  pushed  past  the  horse.  When  he  saw  us 
backed  gracefully  up  into  the  V-shaped  cave,  he  stood  as 
still  as  the  horse.  Finding  that  neither  he  nor  my  escort 
could  think  of  anything  to  say  to  relieve  the  mental  and 
i^hysical  strain,  I  called  out  graciously  : — 

"  How  do  you  do,  sir  ?     Would  you  like  to  get  by  ?  " 

"  I'd  like  it  damn  well,  lady,"  he  replied,  with  what  I 
felt  to  be  his  very  politest  manner. 

"  Perhaps,"  I  suggested  sweetly,  ''  if  I  came  out  and  let 
the  horse  get  a  good  look  at  me — " 

"  Don't  you  do  it,  lady.  That  'u'd  scare  him  plumb  to 
death !  " 


ALASKA :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  281 

I  have  always  been  convinced  that  he  did  not  mean  it 
exactly  as  it  sounded,  but  I  caught  the  flicker  of  a  smile 
on  my  escort's  face.     It  was  gone  in  an  instant. 

Suddenly  the  other  horses  came  crowding  upon  the 
bell-horse.  There  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  to  go 
past  me  or  to  go  over  the  precipice.  He  chose  me  as  the 
least  of  the  two  evils. 

"  Nice  pony,  nice  boy,"  I  wheedled,  as  he  went  sliding 
and  snorting  past. 

Then  we  waited  for  the  next  horse  to  come  by ;  but  he 
did  not  come.  Turning  my  head,  I  found  him  fixed  in 
the  same  place  and  the  same  attitude  as  the  first  had  been  ; 
his  eyes  were  as  big  and  they  were  set  as  steadily  on  me. 

Well  —  there  were  fifty  horses  in  that  government  pack 
train.  Every  one  of  the  fifty  balked  at  sight  of  a  woman. 
There  were  horses  of  every  color  —  gra}^  white,  black,  bay, 
chestnut,  sorrel,  and  pinto.  The  sorrel  were  the  stub- 
bornest  of  all.  To  this  day,  I  detest  the  sight  of  a  sorrel 
horse. 

We  stood  there  in  that  position  for  a  time  that  seemed 
like  hours ;  we  coaxed  each  horse  as  he  balked ;  and  at 
the  last  were  reduced  to  such  misery  that  we  gave  thanks 
to  God  that  there  were  only  fifty  of  them  and  that  they 
couldn't  kick  sidewise  as  they  passed. 

I  forgot  about  the  men.  There  were  seven  men  ;  and 
as  each  man  turned  the  bend  in  the  trail,  he  stood  as  still 
as  the  stillest  horse,  and  for  quite  as  long  a  time ;  and 
naturally  I  hesitated  to  say,  "  Nice  boy,  nice  fellow,"  to 
help  him  by. 

There  were  more  glacier  streams  to  cross.  These  were 
floored  with  huge  boulders  instead  of  sand  and  quicksand. 
The  horses  stumbled  and  plunged  powerfully.  One  mis- 
step here  would  have  meant  death  ;  the  rapids  immedi- 
ately below  the  crossing  would  have  beaten  us  to  pieces 
upon  the  rocks. 


282  ALASKA:     TUE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Then  came  more  perpendicular  climbing  ;  but  at  last, 
at  five  o  'clock,  with  our  bodies  aching  with  fatigue,  and 
our  senses  finally  dulled,  through  sheer  surfeit,  to  the 
beauty  of  the  journey,  we  reached  "  Wortman's  "  road  house. 

This  is  twenty  miles  from  Valdez  ;  and  when  we  were 
lifted  from  our  horses  we  could  not  stand  alone,  to  say 
nothing  of  attempting  to  walk. 

But  "  Wortman's  "  is  the  paradise  of  road  houses.  In 
it,  and  floating  over  it,  is  an  atmosphere  of  warmth,  com- 
fort and  good  cheer  that  is  a  rest  for  body  and  heart. 
The  beds  are  comfortable  and  the  meals  excellent. 

But  it  was  the  welcome  that  cheered,  the  spirit  of 
genuine  kind-heartedness. 

The  road  house  stands  in  a  large  clearing,  with  barns 
and  other  buildings  surrounding  it.  I  never  saw  so  many 
dogs  as  greeted  us,  except  in  Valdez  or  on  the  Yukon. 
They  crowded  about  us,  barking  and  shrieking  a  welcome. 
They  were  all  big  raalamutes. 

After  a  good  dinner  we  went  to  bed  at  eight  o'clock. 
The  sun  was  shining  brightly,  but  we  darkened  our  rooms 
as  much  as  possible,  and  instantly  fell  into  the  sleep  of 
utter  exhaustion. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  were  eating  break- 
fast, and  half  an  hour  later  Ave  were  in  our  saddles  and 
off  for  the  summit  of  Thompson  Pass  to  see  the  sun  rise. 
This  brought  out  the  humps  in  the  horses'  backs  again. 
We  went  up  into  the  air  almost  as  straight  as  a  telegraph 
pole.  Over  heather,  ice,  flowers,  and  snow  our  horses 
plunged,  unspurred. 

It  was  seven  miles  to  the  summit.  There  were  no  trees 
nor  shrubs,  —  only  grass  and  moss  that  gave  a  velvety  look 
to  peaks  and  slopes  that  seemed  to  be  floating  around  us 
through  the  silvery  mists  that  were  wound  over  them  like 
turbans.  Here  and  there  a  hollow  was  banked  with 
frozen  snow. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  283 

When  we  dismounted  on  the  very  summit  we  could 
hardly  step  without  crushing  bluebells  and  geraniums. 

We  set  the  flag  of  our  country  on  the  highest  point 
beside  the  trail,  that  every  loyal-hearted  traveller  might 
salute  it  and  take  hope  again,  if  he  chanced  to  be  discour- 
aged. Then  we  sat  under  its  folds  and  watched  the  mists 
change  from  silver  to  pearl-gi-ay ;  from  pearl-gray  to 
pink,  amethyst,  violet,  purple,  —  and  back  to  rose,  gold, 
and  flame  color. 

One  peak  after  another  shone  out  for  a  moment,  only 
to  withdraw.  Suddenly,  as  if  with  one  leap,  the  sun  came 
over  the  mountain  line  ;  vibrated  brilliantly,  dazzlingly, 
flashing  long  rays  like  signals  to  every  quickened  peak. 
Then,  while  we  gazed,  entranced,  other  peaks  whose  pres- 
ence we  had  not  suspected  were  brought  to  life  by  those 
searching  rays  ;  valleys  appeared,  filled  with  purple, 
brooding  shadows  ;  whole  slopes  blue  with  bluebells  ;  and, 
white  and  hard,  the  narrow  trail  that  led  on  to  the  pitiless 
land  of  gold. 

We  were  above  the  mountain  peaks,  above  the  clouds, 
level  with  the  sun. 

Absolute  stillness  was  about  us ;  there  was  not  one 
faintest  sound  of  nature ;  no  plash  of  water,  nor  sough  of 
wind,  nor  call  of  a  bird.  It  was  so  still  that  it  seenjed 
like  the  beginning  of  a  new  world,  with  the  birth  of 
mountains  taking  place  before  our  reverent  eyes,  as  one 
after  another  dawned  suddenly  and  goldenly  upon  our 
vision. 

Every  time  we  had  stopped  on  the  trail  we  had  heard 
harrowing  stories  of  saddle-horses  or  pack-horses  having 
missed  their  footing  and  gone  over  the  precipice.  The 
horses  are  so  carefully  packed,  and  the  packs  so  securely 
fastened  on  —  the  last  cinch  being  thrown  into  the  "  dia- 
mond hitch "  —  that  the  poor  beasts  can  roll  over  and 
over  to  the  bottom  of  a  canyon  without  disarranging  a 


284        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

pack  weighing  two  hundred  pounds  —  a  feat  which  they 
very  frequently  perform. 

The  military  trail  is,  of  necessity,  poor  enough ;  but  it 
is  infinitely  superior  to  all  other  trails  in  Alaska,  and  is  a 
boon  to  the  prosj^ector.  It  is  a  well-defined  and  well- 
travelled  highway.  The  trees  and  bushes  are  cut  in 
places  for  a  width  of  thirty  feet,  original  bridges  span  the 
creeks  when  it  is  possible  to  bridge  them  at  all,  and  some 
corduroy  has  been  laid ;  but  in  many  places  the  trail  is  a 
mere  path,  not  more  than  two  feet  wide,  shovelled  or 
blasted  from  the  hillside. 

In  Alaska  there  were  practically  no  roads  at  all  until 
the  appointment  in  1905  of  a  road  commission  consisting 
of  ^lajor  W.  P.  Richardson,  Captain  G.  B.  Pillsbury,  and 
Lieutenant  L.  C.  Orchard.  Since  that  year  eight  hun- 
dred miles  of  trails,  wagon  and  sled  roads,  numerous 
ferries,  and  hundreds  of  bridges  have  been  constructed. 
The  wagon  road-beds  are  all  sixteen  feet  wide,  with  free 
side  strips  of  a  hundred  feet ;  the  sled  roads  are  twelve 
feet  wide ;  the  trails,  eight ;  and  the  bridges,  fourteen. 
In  the  interior,  laborers  on  the  roads  are  paid  five  dollars 
a  day,  with  board  and  lodging;  they  are  given  better  food 
than  any  laborers  in  Alaska,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  those  employed  at  the  Treadwell  mines  and  on  the 
Cordova  Railroad.  The  average  cost  of  road  work  in 
Alaska  is  about  two  thousand  dollars  a  niile ;  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  for  sled  road,  and  one  hundred  for  trails. 
These  roads  have  reduced  freight  rates  one-half  and  have 
helped  to  develop  rich  regions  that  had  been  inaccessible. 
Their  importance  in  the  development  of  the  country  is 
second  to  that  of  railroads  only. 

The  scenery  from  Ptarmigan  Drop  down  the  Tsina 
River  to  Beaver  Dam  is  magnificent.  Huge  mountains, 
saw-toothed  and  covered  with  snow,  jut  diagonally  out 
across  the  valley,  one  after  another ;  streams  fall,  riffling, 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  285 

down  the  sides  of  the  mountains ;  and  the  cloud-effects 
are  especially  beautiful. 

Tsina  River  is  a  narrow,  foaming  torrent,  confined,  for 
the  most  part,  between  sheer  hills,  —  although,  in  places, 
it  spreads  out  over  low,  gravelly  fiats.  Beaver  Dam 
huddles  into  a  gloomy  gulch  at  the  foot  of  a  vast,  over- 
hanging mountain.  Its  situation  is  what  Whidbey  would 
have  called  "gloomily  magnificent."  In  1905  Beaver 
Dam  was  a  road  house  which  many  chose  to  avoid,  if  pos- 
sible. 

The  Tiekel  road  house  on  the  Kanata  River  is  pleas- 
antly situated,  and  is  a  comfortable  place  at  which  to  eat 
and  rest. 

For  its  entire  length,  the  military  trail  climbs  and  falls 
and  winds  through  scenery  of  inspiring  beauty.  The 
trail  leading  off  to  the  east  at  Tonsina,  through  the 
Copper  River,  Nizina,  and  Chitina  valleys,  is  even  more 
beautiful. 

Vast  plains  and  hillsides  of  bloom  are  passed.  Some 
mountainsides  are  blue  with  lupine,  others  rosy  with  fire- 
weed  ;  acres  upon  acres  are  covered  with  violets,  bluebells, 
wild  geranium,  anemones,  spotted  moccasin  and  other 
orchids,  buttercups,  and  dozens  of  others  —  all  large  and 
vivid  of  color.  It  has  often  been  said  that  the  flowers  of 
■Alaska  are  not  fragrant,  but  this  is  not  true. 

The  mountains  of  the  vicinity  are  glorious.  Mount 
Drum  is  twelve  thousand  feet  high.  Sweeping  up  splen- 
didly from  a  level  plain,  it  is  more  imposing  than  Mount 
Wrangell,  which  is  fourteen  thousand  feet  high,  and 
Mount  Blackburn,  which  is  sixteen  thousand  feet. 

The  view  from  the  summit  of  Sour-Dough  Hill  is  un- 
surpassed in  the  interior  of  Alaska.  Glacial  creeks  and 
roaring  rivers ;  wild  and  fantastic  canyons  ;  moving 
glaciers  ;  gorges  of  royal  purple  gloom ;  green  valleys 
and    flowery    slopes ;     the    domed    and    towered    Castle 


286  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Mountains ;  the  lone  and  majestic  peaks  pushing  up  above 
all  others,  above  the  clouds,  cascades  spraying  down  sheer 
precipices  ;  and  far  to  the  south  the  linked  peaks  of  the 
Coast  Range  piled  magnificently  upon  the  sky,  dim  and 
faintly  blue  in  the  great  distance, — all  blend  into  one 
grand  panorama  of  unrivalled  inland  grandeur. 

Crossing  the  Copper  River,  when  it  is  high  and  swift, 
is  dangerous,  —  especially  for  a  "  chechaeo  "  of  either  sex. 
(A  chechaeo  is  one  who  has  not  been  in  Alaska  a  year.) 
Packers  are  often  compelled  to  unpack  their  horses,  put- 
ting all  their  effects  into  large  whipsawed  boats.  The 
halters  are  taken  off  the  horses  and  the  latter  are  driven 
into  the  roaring  torrent,  followed  by  the  packers  in  the 
boats. 

The  horses  apparently  make  no  effort  to  reach  the  op- 
posite shore,  but  use  their  strength  desperately  to  hold 
their  own  in  the  swift  current,  fighting  against  it,  with 
their  heads  turned  pitifully  up-stream.  Their  bodies  be- 
ing turned  at  a  slight  angle,  the  current,  pushing  violently 
against  them,  forces  them  slowly,  but  surely,  from  sand 
bar  to  sand  bar,  and,  finally,  to  the  shore. 

It  frequently  requires  two  hours  to  get  men,  horses, 
and  outfit  from  shore  to  shore,  where  they  usually  arrive 
dripping  wet.  Women  who  make  this  trip,  it  is  needless 
to  say,  suffer  still  more  from  the  hardship  of  the  crossing 
than  do  men. 

In  riding  horses  across  such  streams,  they  should  be 
started  diagonally  up-stream  toward  the  first  sand  bar 
above.  They  lean  far  forward,  bracing  themselves  at 
every  step  against  the  current  and  choosing  their  footing 
carefully.  The  horses  of  the  trail  know  all  the  dangers, 
and  scent  them  afar  —  holes,  boulders,  irresistible  cur- 
rents, and  quicksand ;  they  detect  them  before  the  most 
experienced  "  trailer  "  even  suspects  them. 

I  will  not  venture  even  to  sfuess  what  the  other  two 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  287 

women  in  ray  party  did  when  they  crossed  dangerous 
streams ;  but  for  myself,  I  wasted  no  strength  in  trying 
to  turn  my  horse's  head  up-stream,  or  down-stream,  or  in 
any  other  direction.  When  we  went  down  into  the  foam- 
ing water,  I  gave  him  his  head,  clung  to  his  mane,  leaned 
forward  in  the  saddle,  —  and  prayed  like  anything.  I  do 
not  believe  in  childishly  asking  the  Lord  to  help  one  so 
long  as  one  can  help  one's  self ;  but  when  one  is  on  the  back 
of  a  half-swimming,  half-floundering  horse  in  the  middle  of 
a  swollen,  treacherous  flood,  with  holes  and  quicksand  on 
all  sides,  one  is  as  helpless  as  he  was  the  day  he  was  born; 
and  it  is  a  good  time  to  pray. 

According  to  the  report  of  Major  Abercrombie,  who 
probably  knows  this  part  of  Alaska  more  thoroughly  than 
any  one  else,  there  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  in 
the  Copper  River  Valley  alone  where  almost  all  kinds  of 
vegetables,  as  well  as  barley  and  rye,  will  grow  in  abun- 
dance and  mature.  Considering  the  travel  to  the  many 
and  fabulously  rich  mines  already  discovered  in  this 
valley  and  adjacent  ones,  and  the  cost  of  bringing  in 
grain  and  supplies,  it  may  be  easily  seen  what  splendid 
opportunities  await  the  small  farmer  who  will  select  his 
homestead  judiciously,  with  a  view  to  the  accommodation 
of  man  and  beast,  and  the  cultivation  of  food  for  both. 
The  opportunities  awaiting  such  a  man  are  so  much  more 
enticing  than  the  inducements  of  the  bleak  Dakota  prai- 
ries or  the  wind-swept  valleys  of  the  Yellowstone  as  to  be 
beyond  comparison. 

Major  Abercrombie  believes  that  the  valleys  of  the  sub- 
drainage  of  the  Copper  River  Valley  will  in  future  years 
supply  the  demands  for  cereals  and  vegetables,  if  not  for 
meats,  of  the  thousands  of  miners  that  will  be  required  to 
extract  the  vast  deposits  of  metals  from  the  Tonsina, 
Chitina,  Kotsina,  Nizina,  Chesna,  Tanana,  and  other  fa- 
mous districts. 


288       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  vast  importance  to  the  whole  territory  of  Ahiska, 
and  to  the  United  States,  as  well,  of  the  building  of  the 
Guggenheim  railroad  from  Cordova  into  this  splendid  in- 
land empire  may  be  realized  after  reading  Major  Aber- 
crombie's  report. 

We  have  been  accustomed  to  mineralized  zones  of  from 
ten  to  twelve  miles  in  length;  in  the  Wrangell  group 
alone  we  have  a  circle  eighty  miles  in  diameter,  the  min- 
eralization of  which  is  simply  marvellous ;  yet,  valuable 
though  these  concentrates  are,  they  are  as  valueless  com- 
mercially as  so  much  sandstone,  without  the  aid  of  a  rail- 
road and  reduction  works. 

If  the  group  of  mines  at  Butte  could  deflect  a  great 
transcontinental  trunk-line  like  the  Great  Northern,  what 
will  this  mighty  zone,  which  contains  a  dozen  properties 
already  discovered,  — ■  to  say  nothing  of  the  unfound,  un- 
dreamed-of ones, — of  far  greater  value  as  copper  propo- 
sitions than  the  richest  of  Montana,  do  to  advance  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  Pacific  Coast  ? 

The  first  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Nizina  district  was 
made  by  Daniel  Kain  and  Clarence  Warner.  These  two 
prospectors  were  urged  by  a  crippled  Indian  to  accom- 
pany him  to  inspect  a  vein  of  copper  on  the  head  waters 
of  a  creek  that  is  now  known  as  Dan  Creek. 

Not  being  impressed  by  the  coj)per  outlook,  the  two 
prospectors  returned.  They  noticed,  however,  that  the 
gravel  of  Dan  Creek  had  a  look  of  placer  gold. 

They  were  out  of  provisions,  and  were  in  haste  to  reach 
their  supplies,  fifty  miles  away ;  but  Kain  was  reluctant 
to  leave  the  creek  unexamined.  He  went  to  a  small  lake 
and  caught  sufficient  fish  for  a  few  days'  subsistence; 
then,  with  a  shovel  for  his  only  tool,  he  took  out  five 
ounces  of  coarse  gold  in  two  days. 

In  this  wise  was  the  rich  Nizina  district  discovered. 
The    Nizina   River  is  only  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  289 

from  Valdez.  In  Rex  Gulch  as  much  as  eight  ounces 
of  gold  have  been  taken  out  by  one  man  in  a  single  day. 
The  gold  is  of  the  finest  quality,  assaying  over  eighteen 
dollars  an  ounce. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  timber  suitable  for  building 
houses  and  for  firewood  on  all  the  creeks.  There  is 
water  at  all  seasons  for  sluicing,  and,  if  desired,  for 
hydraulic  work. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

The  famous  Bonanza  Copper  Mine  is  on  the  moun- 
tainside high  above  the  Kennicott  Valley,  and  near  the 
Kennicott  Glacier  —  the  largest  glacier  of  the  Alaskan 
interior.  This  glacier  does  not  entirely  fill  the  valley, 
and  one  travels  close  to  its  precipitous  wall  of  ice,  which 
dwindles  from  a  height  of  one  hundred  feet  to  a  low, 
gravel-darkened  moraine.  From  the  summit  of  Sour- 
Dough  Hill  it  may  be  seen  for  its  whole  forty-mile  length 
sweeping  down  from  Mounts  Wrangell  and  Regal. 

The  Bonanza  Mine  has  an  elevation  of  six  thousand 
feet,  and  was  discovered  by  the  merest  chance. 

The  history  of  this  mine  from  the  day  of  its  discovery 
is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  of  Alaska.  In  the  autumn 
of  1899  a  prospecting  party  was  formed  at  Valdez,  known 
as  the  "McClellan"  party.  The  ten  individuals  com- 
posing the  party  were  experienced  miners  and  they 
contributed  money,  horses,  and  "  caches,"  as  well  as 
experience.  The  principal  cache  was  known  as  the 
"  McCarthy  Cabin "  cache,  and  was  about  fifteen  miles 
east  of   Copper  River  on  the  trail  to  the  Nicolai  Mine. 

The  Nicolai  had  been  discovered  early  in  the  summer 
by  R.  F.  McClellan,  who  was  one  of  the  men  compos- 
ing the  "  McClellan "  party,  and  others.  Another  im- 
portant cache  of  three  thousand  pounds  of  provisions 
was  the  "  Amy "  cache,  thirty-five  miles  from  Valdez, 
just  over  the  summit  of  Thompson  Pass. 

The  agreement  was  that  the   McClellan  party  was  to 

290 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  291 

prospect  in  the  interior  in  1900  and  1901,  all  property 
located  to  be  for  their  joint  benefit. 

The  members  of  the  party  scattered  soon  after  the 
organization  was  completed.  Clarence  Warner,  John 
Sweeney,  and  Jack  Smith  remained  in  Valdez  for  the 
winter,  all  the  others  going  "  out  to  the  states." 

In  March  of  1900  Warner  and  Smith  set  out  for  the 
interior  over  the  snow.  There  was  no  government  trail 
then,  and  the  hardships  to  be  endured  were  as  terrific  as 
were  those  of  the  old  Chilkoot  Pass,  on  the  way  to  the  Klon- 
dike. The  snow  was  from  six  to  ten  feet  deep,  and  their 
progress  was  slow  and  painful.  One  went  ahead  on  snow- 
shoes,  the  other  following ;  when  the  trail  thus  made  was 
sufficiently  hard,  the  hand  sleds,  loaded  with  provisions 
and  bedding,  were  drawn  over  it  by  ropes  around  the 
men's  shoulders.  From  two  to  three  hundred  pounds  was 
a  heavy  burden  for  each  man  to  drag  through  the  soft  snow. 

Climbing  the  summit,  and  at  other  steep  places,  they 
were  compelled  to  "  relay,"  by  leaving  the  greater  portion 
of  their  load  beside  the  trail,  pulling  only  a  few  pounds 
for  a  short  distance  and  returning  for  more.  By  the 
most  constant  and  exhaustive  labor  they  were  able  to 
make  only  five  or  six  miles  a  day. 

They  replenished  their  stores  at  the  "  Amy "  cache, 
near  the  summit,  and  in  May  reached  the  "  McCarthy 
Cabin "  cache.  Here  they  found  that  the  Indians  had 
broken  in  and  stolen  nearly  all  the  supplies. 

When  tliey  left  Valdez,  it  was  with  the  expectation 
that  McClellan,  or  some  other  member  of  the  party, 
would  bring  in  their  horses  to  the  McCarthy  cabin,  that 
their  supplies  might  be  packed  from  that  point  on  horse- 
back, —  the  snow  melting  in  May  making  it  impossible  to 
use  sleds,  and  no  man  being  able  to  carry  more  than  a  few 
pounds  on  his  back  for  so  long  a  journey  as  they  expected 
to  make. 


292  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

However,  McClellan  had,  during  the  winter,  entered 
into  a  contract  with  the  Chitina  Exploration  Company 
at  San  Francisco  to  do  a  large  amount  of  development 
work  on  the  Nicolai  Mine  during  the  summer  of  1900. 
He  returned  to  Valdez  after  Warner  and  Smith  had  left, 
bringing  twenty  horses,  a  large  outfit  of  tools  and  sup- 
plies, and  fifteen  men  —  among  them  some  of  the  McClel- 
lan prospecting  party,  who  had  agreed  to  work  for  the 
season  for  the  Chitina  Company. 

When  this  party  reached  the  McCarthy  cabin,  they 
found  Warner  and  Smith  there.  An  endless  dispute 
tliereupon  began  as  to  the  amount  of  provisions  the  two 
men  had  when  the  Chitina  party  arrived,  —  Warner  and 
Smith  claiming  that  they  had  five  hundred  pounds,  and 
the  Chitina  Company  claiming  that  they  were  entirely 
"  out  of  grub,"  to  use  miner's  language. 

Warner  and  Smith  demanded  that  McClellan  should 
give  them  two  horses  belonging  to  the  McClellan  pros- 
pecting party,  which  he  had  brought.  This  matter  was 
finally  settled  by  McClellan's  packing  in  what  remained 
of  Smith  and  Warner's  provisions  to  the  Nicolai  Mine,  a 
distance  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles. 

McClellan,  as  superintendent  of  the  Chitina  Company, 
used,  with  that  company's  horses,  four  of  the  McClellan 
party's  horses  during  the  entire  season,  sending  them 
to  and  from  Valdez,  packing  supplies. 

In  the  meantime,  upon  reaching  the  Nicolai  Mine,  on 
the  1st  of  July,  Warner  and  Smith,  packing  supplies  on 
their  backs,  set  out  to  prospect.  The  Chitina  Company, 
in  the  famous  and  bitterly  contested  lawsuit  which  fol- 
lowed, claimed  that  they  were  supplied  with  the  Chitina 
Company's  "  grub "  ;  while  Smith  and  Warner  claimed 
that  their  provisions  belonged  to  the  McClellan  party. 

After  a  few  days'  aimless  wandering,  they  reached  a 
point  on  the  east  side  of  Kennicott  Glacier,  about  twenty 


Cojiy  right  by  J.  Doody,  Dawson 

Steamek  "  White   House  "   ix  Five-Finger  Rapids 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  293 

miles  west  of  the  Nicoliii  Mine.  Here  they  camped  at 
noon,  near  a  small  stream  that  came  running  down  from 
a  great  height. 

Tlieir  camp  was  about  halfway  up  a  mountain  which 
was  six  thousand  feet  high.  After  a  miner's  lunch  of 
bacon  and  beans,  they  were  packing  up  to  resume  their 
wanderings,  when  Warner,  chancing  to  glance  upward, 
discovered  a  green  streak  near  the  top  of  the  mountain. 
It  looked  like  grass,  and  at  first  he  gave  it  no  thought ; 
but  presently  it  occurred  to  him  that,  as  they  were 
camped  above  timber-line,  grass  would  not  be  growing 
at  such  a  height. 

They  at  once  decided  to  investigate  the  peculiar  and 
mysterious  coloring.  The  mountain  was  steep,  and  it  was 
after  a  slow  and  painful  climb  that  they  reached  the  top. 
Jack  Smith  stooped  and  picked  up  a  piece  of  shining 
metal. 

"My  God,  Clarence,"  he  said  fervently,  "it's  copper." 

It  was  copper ;  the  richest  copper,  in  the  greatest  quan- 
tities, ever  found  upon  the  earth.  There  were  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  tons  of  it.  There  was  a  whole  mountain 
of  it.  It  was  so  bright  and  shining  that  they,  at  first, 
thought  it  was  Galena  ore;  but  they  soon  discovered 
that  it  was  copper  glance,  —  a  copjDcr  ore  bearing  about 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  pure  copper. 

The  Havemeyers,  Guggenheims,  and  other  eastern  capi- 
talists became  interested.  Then,  when  the  marvellous 
richness  of  the  discovery  of  Jack  Smith  and  Clarence 
Warner  became  known,  a  lawsuit  was  begun  —  hinging 
upon  the  grub-stake  —  which  was  so  full  of  dramatic 
incidents,  attempted  bribery,  charges  of  corruption  reach- 
ing to  the  United  States  Senate  and  the  President  him- 
self, that  the  facts  would  make  a  long  story,  vivid  with 
life,  action,  and  fantastic  setting  —  the  scene  reaching 
from  Alaska  to  New  York,  and  from  New  York  to  Manila. 


294  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  lawsuit  was  at  last  settled  in  favor  of  tlie  dis- 
coverers. 

On  January  14,  1908,  Mr.  Smith  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  a  mine  which  he  had  located  across  McCarthy 
Creek  from  the  Bonanza,  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  It  will  be  "stocked"  and  named  "The  Bonanza 
Mine  Extension."  It  is  said  to  be  as  rich  as  the  great 
Bonanza  itself. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

In  the  district  which  comprises  the  entire  coast  from 
the  southern  boundary  of  Oregon  to  the  northernmost 
point  of  Ahaska  there  are  but  forty-five  lighthouses. 
Included  in  this  district  are  the  Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca, 
Washington  Sound,  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  and  all  the  tidal 
waters  tributary  to  the  sea  straits  and  sounds  of  this 
coast.  There  are  also  twenty-eight  fog  signals,  operated 
by  steam,  hot  air,  or  oil  engines ;  six  fog  signals  operated 
by  clockwork ;  two  gas-lighted  buoys  in  position ;  nine 
whistling-buoys  and  five  bell-buoys  in  position;  three 
hundred  and  twenty-two  other  buoys  in  position;  and 
four  tenders,  to  visit  lighthouses  and  care  for  buoys. 

The  above  list  does  not  include  post  lights,  the  Uma- 
tilla Reef  Light  vessel,  and  unlighted  day  beacons. 

It  is  the  far,  lonely  Alaskan  coast  that  is  neglected. 
The  wild,  stormy,  and  immense  stretch  of  coast  reaching 
from  Chichagoff  Island  to  Point  Barrow  in  the  Arctic 
Ocean  has  two  light  and  fog  signal  stations  on  Unimak 
Island  and  two  fixed  lights  on  Cape  Stephens.  A  light 
and  fog  signal  station  is  to  be  built  at  Cape  Hinching- 
broke,  and  a  light  is  to  be  established  at  Point  Romanoff. 

No  navigator  should  be  censured  for  disaster  on  this 
dark  and  dangerous  coast.  The  little  Dora^  running 
regularly  from  Seward  and  Valdez  to  Unalaska,  does  not 
pass  a  light.  Her  w^ay  is  wild  and  stormy  in  winter,  and 
the  coasts  she  passes  are  largely  uninhabited ;  yet  there 
is  not  a  flash  of   light,  unless  it   be  from  some  volcano, 

295 


296  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

to  guide  her  into  diilficult  ports  and  around  the  perilous 
reefs  with  which  the  coast  abounds. 

A  prayer  for  a  lighthouse  at  the  entrance  to  Resurrec- 
tion Bay  was  refused  by  the  department,  with  the  advice 
that  the  needs  of  commerce  do  not  require  a  light  at  this 
point,  particularly  as  there  are  several  other  points  more 
in  need  of  such  aid.  The  department  further  advised 
that  it  would  require  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  es- 
tablish a  light  and  fog  signal  station  at  the  place  desig- 
nated, instead  of  the  twenty-live  thousand  dollars  asked. 

Meanwhile,  ships  are  wrecked  and  lives  and  valuable 
cargoes  are  lost,  —  and  will  be  while  the  Alaskan  coast 
remains  unlighted. 

Along  the  intricate,  winding,  and  exceedingly  danger- 
ous channels,  straits,  and  narrows  of  the  "  inside  passage  " 
of  southeastern  Alaska,  there  are  only  seven  light  and 
fog  signals,  and  ten  lights ;  but  where  the  sea-coast  be- 
longs to  Canada  there  is  sufficient  light  and  ample  buoy- 
age protection,  as  all  mariners  admit. 

Is  our  government's  rigid,  and  in  some  instances  stub- 
born, economy  in  this  matter  a  wise  one  ?  Is  it  a  humane 
one?  The  nervous  strain  of  this  voyage  on  a  conscien- 
tious and  sensitive  master  of  a  ship  heavily  laden  with 
human  beings  is  tremendous.  The  anxious  faces  and  un- 
relaxing  vigilance  of  the  officers  on  the  bridge  when  a 
ship  is  passing  through  Taku  Open,  Wrangell  Narrows, 
or  Peril  Straits  speak  plainly  and  unmistakably  of  the 
ceaseless  burden  of  responsibility  and  anxiety  which  they 
bear.  The  charting  of  these  waters  is  incomplete  as  yet, 
notwithstanding  the  faithful  service  which  the  Geodetic 
Survey  has  performed  for  many  years.  Many  a  rock  has 
never  been  discovered  until  a  ship  went  down  upon  it. 

Political  influence  has  been  known  to  establish  lights, 
at  immense  cost,  at  points  where  they  are  practically 
luxuries,  rather  than  needs ;  therefore  the  government 
should  not  be  censured  for  cautiousness  in  this  matter. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  297 

But  it  should  be,  and  it  is,  censured  for  not  investigat- 
ing carefully  the  needs  of  the  Alaskan  Coast  —  the 
"  Great  Unlighted  Way." 

Seward  is  situated  almost  as  beautifully  as  Valdez. 
It  is  only  five  years  old.  It  is  the  sea  terminal  of  the 
Alaska  Central  Railway,  which  is  building  to  the  Xanana, 
through  a  rich  country  that  is  now  almost  unknown. 
It  will  pass  within  ten  miles  of  Mount  McKinley,  which 
rises  from  a  level  plain  to  an  altitude  of  nearly  twenty- 
one  thousand  feet. 

This  mountain  has  been  known  to  white  men  for  nearly 
a  century ;  yet  until  very  recently  it  did  not  appear  upon 
any  map,  and  had  no  official  name.  More  than  fifty  years 
ago  the  Russian  fur  traders  knew  it  and  called  it "  Bulshaia," 
—  signifying  "  high  mountain  "  or  "  great  mountain. "  The 
natives  called  it  "  Trolika,"  a  name  having  the  same 
meaning. 

Explorers,  traders,  and  prospectors  have  seen  it  and  com- 
mented upon  its  magnificent  height,  yet  without  realizing 
its  importance,  until  Mr.  W.  A.  Dickey  saw  it  in  1896 
and  proposed  for  it  the  name  of  McKinley.  In  1902  Mr. 
Alfred  Hulse  Brooks,  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  with  two  associates  and  four  camp  men,  made  an 
expedition  to  the  mountain.  Mr.  Brooks'  report  of  this 
expedition  is  exceedingly  interesting.  He  spent  the  sum- 
mer of  1906,  also,  upon  the  mountain. 

The  town  site  of  Seward  was  purchased  from  the  Lowells, 
a  pioneer  family,  by  Major  J.  E.  Ballaine,  for  four  thousand 
dollars.  It  has  grown  very  rapidly.  Stumps  still  stand 
upon  the  business  streets,  and  silver-barked  log-cabins 
nestle  modestly  and  picturesquely  beside  imposing  build- 
ings. The  bank  and  the  railway  company  have  erected 
handsome  homes.  Every  business  and  profession  is  repre- 
sented.    There  are  good  schools  and  churches,  an  electric- 


298       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

light  plant,  two  newspapers,  a  library  and  hospital,  pro- 
gressive clubs,  and  all  the  modern  luxuries  of  western 
towns. 

When  Mr.  Seward  was  asked  what  he  considered  the 
most  important  measure  of  his  political  career,  he  replied, 
"  The  purchase  of  Alaska;  but  it  will  take  the  people  a 
generation  to  find  it  out." 

Since  the  loftiest  and  noblest  peak  of  North  America 
was  doomed  to  be  named  for  a  man,  it  should  have  borne 
the  name  of  this  dauntless,  loyal,  and  far-seeing  friend  of 
Alaska  and  of  all  America.  Since  this  was  not  to  be,  it 
was  very  fitting  that  a  young  and  ambitious  town  on  the 
historic  Voskressenski  Harbor  should  bear  this  honored 
and  forever-to-be-remembered  name.  If  Seward  and 
Valdez  would  but  work  together,  the  region  extending 
from  Prince  William  Sound  to  Cook  Inlet  would  soon  be- 
come the  best  known  and  the  most  influential  of  Alaska, 
as  it  is,  with  the  addition  of  the  St.  Elias  Alps,  the  most 
sublimely  and  entrancingly  beautiful. 

Voskressenski  Harbor,  or  Resurrection  Bay,  pushes  out 
in  purple  waves  in  front  of  Seward,  and  snow  peaks  circle 
around  it,  the  lower  hills  being  heavily  wooded.  There 
is  a  good  wharf  and  a  safe  harbor ;  the  bay  extends  inland 
eighteen  miles,  is  completely  land-locked,  and  is  kept  free 
of  ice  the  entire  year,  as  is  the  Bay  of  Valdez  and  Cook 
Inlet,  by  the  Japan  current. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  Alaska  Central  Railway  will 
cost,  when  completed  to  Fairbanks,  at  least  twenty-five 
millions  of  dollars.  Several  branches  will  be  extended 
into  different  and  important  mining  regions. 

The  road  has  a  general  maximum  grade  of  one  per  cent. 
The  Coast  Range  is  crossed  ten  miles  from  Seward,  at  an 
elevation  of  only  seven  hundred  feet.  The  road  follows 
the  shore  of  Lake  Kenai,  Turnagain  Arm,  and  Knik  Arm 
on    Cook  Inlet;    then,  reaching  the    Sushitna    River,  it 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  299 

follows  the  sloping"  plains  of  that  valley  for  a  hundred 
miles,  when,  crossing  the  Alaskan  Range,  it  descends  into 
the  vast  valley  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Xanana 
River,  in  the  vicinit}^  of  Chena  and  F'airbanks. 

All  of  the  country  which  this  road  is  expected  to 
traverse  when  completed  is  rich  in  coal,  copper,  and  quartz 
and  placer  gold. 

There  is  a  large  amount  of  timber  suitable  for  domestic 
use  throughout  this  part  of  the  country,  spruce  trees  of 
three  and  four  feet  in  diameter  being  common  near  the 
coast  ;  inland,  the  timber  is  smaller,  but  of  fair  quality. 

There  is  much  good  agricultural  land  along  the  line  of 
the  road;  the  soil  is  rich  and  the  climatic  conditions  quite 
as  favorable  as  those  of  many  producing  regions  of  the 
northern  United  States  and  Europe.  Grass,  known  as 
"  red-top,"  grows  in  abundance  in  the  valleys  and  provides 
food  for  horses  and  cattle.  It  is  expected  that,  so  soon  as 
the  different  railroads  connect  the  great  interior  valleys 
with  the  sea,  the  government's  offer  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  to  the  homesteader  will  induce  many  people 
to  settle  there.  The  Alaska  Central  Railroad  is  completed 
for  a  distance  of  fifty-three  miles,  —  more  than  half  the 
distance  to  the  coal-fields  north  of  Cook  Inlet. 

Arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  building  of  a 
large  smelter  at  Seward,  to  cost  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  in  1908. 

Cook  Inlet  enjoys  well-deserved  renown  for  its  scenery. 
Between  it  and  the  Chugach  Gulf  is  the  great  Kenai  Pen- 
insula, whose  sliores  are  indented  by  many  deep  inlets  and 
bays.     The  most  important  of  these  is  Resurrection  Bay. 

Wood  is  plentiful  along  the  coast  of  the  peninsula. 
Cataracts,  glaciers,  snow  peaks,  green  valleys,  and  lovely 
lakes  abound. 

The  peninsula  is  shaped  somewhat  like  a  great  pear. 


300  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Turnagain  Arm  and  an  inlet  of  Prince  William  Sound 
almost  meet  at  the  north;  but  the  portage  mentioned  on 
another  page  prevents  it  from  being  an  island.  It  is 
crowned  by  the  lofty  and  rugged  Kenai  Mountains. 

Off  its  southern  coast  are  several  clusters  of  islands  — 
Pye  and  Chugatz  islands,  Seal  and  Chiswell  rocks. 

In  the  entrance  to  Cook  Inlet  lie  Barren  Islands, 
Amatuli  Island,  and  Ushugat  Island. 

On  a  small  island  off  the  southern  point  of  the  peninsula 
is  a  lofty  promontory,  which  Cook  named  Cape  Elizabeth 
because  it  was  sighted  on  the  Princess  Elizabeth's  birth- 
day. The  lofty,  two-peaked  promontory  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  entrance  he  named  Douglas,  in  honor  of  his 
friend,  the  Canon  of  Windsor. 

Between  the  capes,  the  entrance  is  sixty-five  miles  wide; 
but  it  steadily  diminishes  until  it  reaches  a  width  of  but 
a  few  miles.  There  is  a  passage  on  each  side  of  Barren 
Islands. 

The  Inlet  receives  the  waters  of  several  rivers  :  the 
Sushitna,  Matanuska,  Knik,  Yentna,  —  which  flows  into 
the  Sushitna  near  its  mouth,  —  Kaknu,  and  Kassitof. 

Lying  near  the  western  shore  of  the  inlet,  and  just  in- 
side the  entrance,  is  an  island  which  rises  in  graceful' 
sweeps  on  all  sides,  directly  from  the  water  to  a  smooth, 
broken-pointed,  and  beautiful  cone.  This  cone  forms  the 
entire  island,  and  there  is  not  the  faintest  break  in  its 
symmetry  until  the  very  crest  is  reached.  It  is  the  vol- 
cano of  St.  Augustine. 

A  chain  of  active  volcanoes  extends  along  the  western 
shore.  Of  these,  Iliamna,  the  greatest,  is  twelve  thousand 
sixty-six  feet  in  height,  and  was  named  "  Miranda,  the 
Admirable  "  by  Spanish  navigators,  who  may  usually  be 
relied  upon  for  j)oetically  significant,  or  soft-sounding, 
names.  It  is  clad  in  eternal  snow,  but  smoke-turbans  are 
wound  almost  constantly  about  its  brow.     It  was  in  erup- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  301 

tion  in  1854,  and  running  lava  has  been  found  near  the 
lower  crater.  There  are  many  hot  and  sulphurous  springs 
on  its  sides. 

North  of  Iliamna  is  Goryalya,  or  "  The  Redoubt,"  which 
is  a  lesser  "  smoker,"  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  high.  It  was  in  eruption  in  1867,  and  ashes 
fell  on  islands  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away. 

Iliamna  Lake  is  one  of  the  two  largest  lakes  in  Alaska. 
It  is  from  fifty  to  eighty  miles  long  and  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-five  wide.  A  pass  at  a  height  of  about  eight  hun- 
dred feet  affords  an  easy  route  of  communication  between 
the  upper  end  of  the  lake  and  a  bay  of  the  same  name  on 
Cook  Inlet,  near  the  volcano,  and  has  long  been  in  use  by 
white,  as  well  as  native,  hunters  and  prospectors.  The 
country  surrounding  the  lake  is  said  to  abound  in  large 
and  small  game.  Lake  Clark,  to  the  north,  is  connected 
with  Lake  Iliamna  by  the  Nogheling  River.  It  is  longer 
than  Iliamna,  but  very  much  narrower.  It  lies  directly 
west  of  the  Redoubt  Volcano. 

Iliamna  Lake  is  connected  with  Behring  Sea  by  Kvichak 
River,  which  flows  into  Bristol  Bay.  The  lake  is  a 
natural  hatchery  of  king  salmon,  and  immense  canneries 
are  located  on  Bristol  Bay,  which  lies  directly  north  of 
the  Aliaska  Peninsula. 

It  is  comparatively  easy  for  hunters  to  cross  by  the 
chain  of  lakes  and  water-ways  from  Bristol  Bay  to  Cook 
Inlet  —  which  is  known  to  sportsmen  of  all  countries, 
both  shores  offering  everything  in  the  way  of  game. 
The  big  brown  bear  of  the  inlet  is  the  same  as  the  famous 
Kadiak ;  and  hunters  come  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
when  they  can  secure  permits  to  kill  them.  Moose,  cari- 
bou, mountain  sheep,  mountain  goat,  deer,  and  all  kinds 
of  smaller  game  are  also  found.  There  are  many  trout 
and  salmon  streams  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  inlet, 
and  the  lagoons  and  marshes  are  the  haunts  of  water-fowl. 


302        ALASKA :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  voyage  up  Cook  Inlet  is  one  of  the  most  fascinat- 
ing that  may  be  taken,  as  a  side  trip,  in  Alaska. 

Large  steamers  touch  only  at  Homer  and  Seldovia,  just 
inside  the  entrance.  There  is  a  good  wharf  at  Homer, 
but  at  Seldovia  there  is  another  rope-ladder  descent  and 
dory  landing.  There  are  a  post-office,  several  stores  and 
houses,  and  a  little  Greek-Russian  church.  Scattered 
over  a  low  bluff  at  one  side  of  the  settlement  are  the 
native  huts,  half  hidden  in  tall  reeds  and  grasses,  and  a 
native  graveyard. 

Seldovia  is  not  the  place  to  buy  baskets,  as  the  only 
ones  to  be  obtained  are  of  very  inferior  coloring  and 
workmanship. 

My  Scotch  friend  was  so  fearful  that  some  one  else 
might  secure  a  treasure  that  she  seized  the  first  basket  in 
sight  at  Seldovia,  paying  five  dollars  for  it.  It  was  not 
large,  and  as  for  its  appearance  — ! 

But  with  one  evil  mind  we  all  pretended  to  envy  her 
and  to  regret  that  we  had  not  seen  it  first ;  so  that,  for 
some  time,  she  stepped  out  over  the  tundra  with  quite  a 
proud  and  high  step,  swinging  her  "  buy  "  proudly  at  her 
right  side,  where  all  might  see  and  admire. 

Presently,  however,  we  came  to  a  hut  wherein  we 
stumbled  upon  all  kinds  of  real  treasures  —  old  bows  and 
arrows,  kamelinkas,  bidarkas,  virgin  charms,  and  ivory 
spears.  We  all  gathered  these  things  unto  ourselves  — 
all  but  my  Scotch  friend.  She  stood  by,  watching  us, 
silent,  ruminative. 

She  had  spent  all  that  she  cared  to  spend  on  curios  in 
one  day  on  the  single  treasure  which  slie  carried  in  her 
hand.  We  observed  that  presently  slie  carried  it  less 
proudly  and  that  her  carriage  had  less  of  haughtiness  in 
it,  as  we  went  across  the  beach  to  the  dory. 

She  took  the  basket  down  to  the  engine-room  to  have 
it  steamed.     I  do  not  know  what  the  engineer  said  to  her 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  303 

about  her  purchase,  but  when  she  came  back,  her  face 
was  somewhat  flushed.  The  Scotch  are  not  a  demonstra- 
tive race,  and  when  she  ever  after  referred  to  the  chief 
engineer  simply  as  "  that  engineer  down  there,"  I  felt 
that  it  meant  something.  She  never  again  mentioned 
that  basket  to  me  ;  but  I  have  seen  it  in  six  different 
curio  stores  trying  to  get  itself  sold. 

At  Seldovia  connection  is  made  with  small  steamers 
running  up  the  inlet  to  the  head  of  the  arm.  Hope  and 
Sunrise  are  the  inspiring  names  of  the  chief  settlements 
of  the  arm. 

The  tides  of  Cook  Inlet  are  tremendous.  There  are 
fearful  tide-rips  at  the  entrance  and  again  about  halfway 
up  the  inlet,  where  they  appeared  "  frightful "  to  Cook 
and  his  men.  The  tide  enters  Turnagain  Arm,  at  the 
head  of  the  inlet,  in  a  huge  bore,  which  expert  canoemen 
are  said  to  be  able  to  ride  successfully,  and  to  thus  be 
carried  with  great  speed  and  delightful  danger  on  their 
way. 

Cook  thought  that  the  inlet  Fas  a  river,  of  which  the 
arm  was  an  eastern  branch.  Therefore,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  latter,  he  exclaimed  in  disappointment  and  chagrin, 
"  Turn  again  !  "  —  and  afterward  bestowed  this  name 
upon  the  slender  water-way. 

He  modestly  left  only  a  blank  for  the  name  of  the  great 
inlet  itself ;  and  after  his  cruel  death  at  the  hands  of 
natives  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Lord  Sandwich  directed 
that  it  be  named  Cook's  River. 

The  voyage  of  two  hundred  miles  to  the  head  of  the 
arm  by  steamer  is  slow  and  sufficiently  romantic  to 
satisfy  the  most  sentimental.  The  steamer  is  compelled 
to  tie  up  frequently  to  await  the  favorable  stage  of  the 
tide,  affording  ample  opportunity  and  time  for  the  full 
enjoyment  of  the  varied  attractions  of  the  trip.  The  nu- 
merous waterfalls  are  among^  the  finest  of  Alaska. 


304  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Even  to-day  the  trip  is  attended  by  the  gravest  dangers 
and  is  only  attempted  by  experienced  navigators  who  are 
familiar  with  its  uni(|ue  perils.  The  very  entrance  is  the 
dread  of  mariners.  The  tide-rips  that  boil  and  roar  aronnd 
the  naked  Barren  Islands  subject  ships  to  graver  danger 
than  the  fiercest  storms  on  this  wild  and  stormy  coast. 

The  tides  of  Turnagain  Arm  rival  those  of  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,  entering  in  tremendous  bores  that  advance  faster 
tlian  a  horse  can  run  and  bearing  everything  with  resist- 
less force  before  them.  After  the  first  roar  of  the  enter- 
ing tide  is  heard,  there  is  but  a  moment  in  which  to  make 
for  safety.  There  is  a  tide  fall  in  the  arm  of  from  twenty 
to  twenty-seven  feet. 

The  first  Russian  settlement  of  the  inlet  was  by  the 
establishment  of  a  fort  by  Shelikoff,  near  the  entrance, 
named  Alexandrovsk.  It  was  followed  in  1786  by  the 
establishment  of  the  Lebedef-Lastuchkin  Company  on  the 
Kussilof  River  in  a  settlement  and  fort  named  St.  George. 

Fort  Alexandrovsk  formed  a  square  with  two  bastions, 
and  the  imperial  arms  shone  over  the  entrance,  which  was 
protected  by  two  guns.  The  situation,  however,  was  not 
so  advantageous  for  trading  as  that  of  the  other  company. 

In  1791  the  Lebedef  Company  established  another  fort, 
the  Redoubt  St.  Nicholas,  still  farther  up  the  inlet,  just 
below  that  narrowing  known  as  the  "  Forelands,"  at  the 
Kaknu,  or  Kenai,  River.  At  this  place  the  shores  jut  out 
into  three  steep,  cliffy  points  which  were  named  by  Van- 
couver West,  North,  and  East  Forelands. 

Here  Vancouver  found  the  flood-tide  running  with  such 
a  violent  velocity  that  the  best  bower  cable  proved  unable 
to  resist  it,  and  broke.  The  buoy  sank  by  the  strength 
of  the  current,  and  both  the  anchor  and  the  cable  were 
irrecoverably  lost. 

Cook  did  not  enter  Turnagain  Arm,  but  Vancouver 
learned  from  the  Russians  that  neither  the  arm  nor  the 


ALASKA:    THE    GEEAT    COUNTRY  305 

inlet  was  a  river  ;  that  the  arm  terminated  some  thirty 
miles  from  its  mouth;  and  that  from  its  head  the  Russians 
walked  about  fifteen  versts  over  a  mountain  and  entered 
an  inlet  of  Prince  William  Sound,  —  thereby  keeping  them- 
selves in  communication  with  their  fellow-countrymen  at 
Port  Etches  and  Kaye  Island. 

Vancouver  sent  Lieutenant  Whidbey  and  some  men  to 
explore  the  arm;  but  having  entered  with  the  bore  and 
finding  no  place  where  he  might  escape  its  ebb,  lie  was 
compelled  to  return  with  it,  without  making  as  complete 
an  examination  as  was  desired. 

The  country  bordering  upon  the  bays  along  Turnagain 
Arm  is  low,  richly  wooded,  and  pleasant,  rising  with  a 
gradual  slope,  until  the  inner  point  of  entrance  is  reached. 
Here  the  shores  suddenly  rise  to  bold  and  towering  emi- 
nences, perpendicular  cliffs,  and  mountains  which  to 
poor  Whidbey,  as  usual,  appeared  "stupendous" — cleft 
by  "  awfully  grand  "  chasms  and  gullies,  down  which 
rushed  immense  torrents  of  water. 

The  tide  rises  thirty  feet  with  a  roaring  rush  that  is 
really  terrifying  to  hear  and  see. 

At  a  Russian  settlement  Whidbey  found  one  large  house, 
fifty  by  twenty-four  feet,  occupied  by  nineteen  Russians. 
One  door  afforded  the  only  ventilation,  and  it  was  usually 
closed. 

Whidbey  and  his  men  were  hospitably  received  and 
were  offered  a  repast  of  dried  fish  and  native  cranberries; 
but  because  of  the  offensive  odor  of  the  house,  owing  to 
the  lack  of  ventilation  and  other  unmentionable  horrors, 
they  were  unable  to  eat.  Perceiving  this,  their  host 
ordered  the  cranberries  taken  away  and  beaten  up  with 
train-oil,  when  they  were  again  placed  before  the  visitors. 
This  last  effort  of  hospitality  proved  too  much  for  the 
politeness  of  the  Englishmen,  and  they  rushed  out  into  the 
cool  air  for  relief. 


306       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Indeed,  the  Russians  appeared  to  live  quite  as  filthily 
and  disgustingly  as  the  natives,  and  to  have  fallen  into 
all  their  cooking,  living,  and  other  customs,  save  those  of 
painting  their  faces  and  wearing  ornaments  in  lips,  noses, 
and  ears. 

The  name  "inlet,"  instead  of  "river,"  was  first  applied  to 
this  torrential  water-way  in  1794  by  Vancouver,  who  also 
bestowed  upon  Turnagain  the  designation  of  "arm." 

Vancouver,  upon  the  invitation  of  the  commanding 
officer  who  came  out  to  his  ships  for  that  purpose,  paid 
the  Redoubt  St.  Nicholas,  near  the  P'orelands,  a  visit. 
He  was  saluted  by  two  guns  from  a  kind  of  balcony,  above 
which  the  Russian  flag  floated  on  top  of  a  house  situated 
upon  a  cliff. 

Captain  Dixon,  the  most  pious  navigator  I  have  found, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Russians,  extolled  the  Supreme 
Being  for  having  so  bountifully  provided  in  Cook  Inlet 
for  the  needs  of  the  wretched  natives  who  inhabited  the 
region.  The  fresh  fish  and  game  of  all  kinds,  so  easily 
procured,  the  rich  skins  with  which  to  clothe  their  bodies, 
—  inspired  him  to  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

For  the  magnificent  water-way  pushing  northward, 
glaciered,  cascaded,  blue-bayed,  and  emerald-valed,  with 
unbroken  chains  of  snow  peaks  and  volcanoes  on  both 
sides,  —  up  which  the  voyager  sails  charmed  and  fascinated 
to-day,  —  he  spoke  no  enthusiastic  word  of  praise.  On 
the  contrary,  he  found  the  aspect  dreary  and  uncomfort- 
able. Even  Whidbey,  the  Chilly,  could  not  have  given 
way  to  deeper  shudders  than  did  Dixon  in  Cook  Inlet. 

The  low  land  and  green  valleys  close  to  the  shore, 
grown  with  trees,  shrubbery,  and  tall  grasses,  he  found 
"  not  altogether  disagreeable,"  but  it  was  with  shock  upon 
shock  to  his  delicate  and  outraged  feelings  that  he  sailed 
between  the  mountains  covered  with  eternal  snow.  Their 
"  prodigious  extent  and  stupendous  precipices  .  .  .  chilled 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  307 

the  blood  of  the  beholder."  They  were  "awfully  dread- 
ful." 

Dixon,  as  well  as  Cook,  mentions  the  wearing  of  the 
labret  by  men,  but  I  still  cling  to  the  opinion  that  they 
could  not  distinguish  a  man  from  a  woman,  owing  to  the 
attire. 

Dixon  also  reported  that  the  natives  have  a  keen  sense 
of  smell,  which  they  quicken  by  the  use  of  snakeroot. 
One  would  naturally  have  supposed  that  they  would  have 
hunted  the  forests  through  and  through  for  some  herb, 
or  some  dark  charm  of  witchcraft,  that  would  have 
dej^rived  them  utterly  and  forever  of  this  sense,  which  is 
so  undesirable  a  possession  to  the  person  living  or  travel- 
ling in  Alaska. 

The  climate  of  Cook  Inlet  is  more  agreeable  than  that 
of  any  other  part  of  Alaska.  In  the  low  valleys  near  the 
shore  the  soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  growing  of  fruits, 
vegetables,  and  grain,  and  to  the  raising  of  stock  and 
chickens.  Good  butter  and  cheese  are  made,  which,  with 
eggs,  bring  excellent  prices.  Roses  and  all  but  the  ten- 
derest  flowers  thrive,  and  berries  grow  large  and  of  deli- 
cious flavor,  bearing  abundantly. 

"  Awfully  dreadful  "  scenes  are  not  to  be  found.  It  is 
a  pleasure  to  confess,  however,  that  many  features,  by 
their  beauty,  splendor,  and  sublimity,  fill  the  appreciative 
beholder  with  awe  and  reverence. 

The  coal  deposits  of  the  region  surrounding  the  inlet 
are  now  known  to  be  numerous  and  important.  Coal  is 
found  in  Kachemak  Bay,  and  Port  Graham,  at  Tyonook, 
and  on  Matanuska  River,  about  fifty  miles  inland  from 
the  head  of  the  inlet.  It  is  lignitic  and  bituminous,  but 
semi-anthracite  has  been  found  in  the  Matanuska  Valley. 

Lignitic  coals  have  a  very  wide  distribution,  but  have 
been,  as  yet,  mined  only  on  Admiralty  Island,  at  Homer 


308        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and  Coal  Ray  in  Cook  Inlet,  at  Chignik  and  Unga,  at 
several  points  on  the  Yukon,  and  on  Seward  Peninsula. 

The  new  railroad  now  building-  from  Cordova  will  open 
up  not  only  vast  copper  districts,  but  the  richest  and  most 
extensive  oil  and  coal  fields  in  Alaska,  as  well. 

Semi-anthracite  coal  exists  in  commercial  quantities, 
so  far  as  yet  discovered,  only  at  Comptroller  Bay.  A 
tine  quality  of  bituminous  coal  also  exists  there,  extend- 
ing inland  for  twenty-five  miles  on  the  northern  tribu- 
taries of  Behring  River  and  about  thirty-five  miles  east 
of  Copper  River,  covering  an  area  of  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  square  miles. 

Southwestern  Alaska  includes  the  Cook  Inlet  region, 
Kodiak  and  adjacent  islands,  Aliaska  Peninsula,  and  the 
Aleutian  Islands.  Coal,  mostly  of  a  lignitic  character, 
is  widely  distributed  in  all  these  districts.  It  has  also 
been  discovered  in  different  localities  in  the  Sushitna  Basin. 

All  coal  used  by  the  United  States  government's  naval 
vessels  on  the  Pacific  is  purchased  and  transported  there 
from  the  East  at  enormous  expense.  Alaska  has  vast  coal 
deposits  of  an  exceedingly  fine  quality  lying  undeveloped 
in  the  Aliaskan  Peninsula,  two  hundred  miles  farther  west 
than  Honolulu,  and  directly  on  the  route  of  steamers  plying 
from  this  country  to  the  Orient.  (It  is  not  generallyknown 
that  the  smoke  of  steamers  on  their  way  from  Puget  Sound 
to  Japan  may  be  plainly  seen  on  clear  days  at  U nalaska.) 

This  coal  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  Portage  Bay,  where 
there  is  a  good  harbor  and  a  coaling  station.  It  is  reported 
by  geological  survey  experts  to  be  as  fine  as  Pocahontas 
coal,  and  even  higher  in  carbon. 

Possibly,  in  time,  the  United  States  government  may 
awaken  to  a  realization  of  the  vast  fortunes  lying  hidden 
in  the  undeveloped,  neglected,  and  even  scorned  resources 
of  Alaska,  —  not  to  mention  the  tremendous  advantages  of 
being  able  to  coal  its  war  vessels  with  Pacific  Coast  coal. 


m 


'    S  «^4i""/^'  :  V.-'  ^^ 


^^ 


oil     >    * 


i*r< 


f  <*''*-'• , 


r' 


"J! 


-r-  ■ 


'    ^  \   ^■. , 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE AT    COUNTRY  309 

During  the  spring  of  1908  tlie  Aluska-coal  land  situa- 
tion was  discouraging.  A  great  area  of  rich  coal-bearing 
land  had  been  withdrawn  from  entry,  because  of  the 
amazing  presumption  of  the  interior  department  that  the 
removal  of  prohibitive  restrictions  upon  entrymen  would 
encourage  the  formation  of  monopolies  in  the  mining  and 
marketing  of  coal. 

Secretary  Garfield  at  jfirst  inclined  strongly  to  the 
opinion  that  the  Alaska  coal  lands  should  be  held  by  the 
government  for  leasing  purposes,  and  that  there  should 
be  a  separate  reservation  for  the  navy ;  and  he  has  not 
entirely  abandoned  this  opinion. 

The  withdrawal  of  the  coal  lands  from  entry  caused  the 
Copper  River  and  Northwestern  Railway  Company  to 
discontinue  all  work  on  the  Katalla  branch  of  the  road ; 
nor  will  it  resume  until  the  question  of  title  to  the  coal 
lands  is  settled  and  the  lands  themselves  admitted  to 
entry. 

The  fear  of  monopolies,  which  is  making  the  interior 
department  uneasy,  is  said  to  have  arisen  from  the  fact 
that  it  has  been  absolutely  necessary  for  several  entrymen 
in  a  coal  region  to  associate  themselves  together  and  com- 
bine their  claims,  on  account  of  the  enormous  expense  of 
opening  and  operating  mines  in  that  country.  The  sur- 
veys alone,  which,  in  accordance  with  an  act  passed  in 
1904,  must  be  borne  by  the  entryman,  although  this  burden 
is  not  imposed  upon  entrymen  in  the  states,  are  so  ex- 
pensive, particularly  in  the  Behring  coal-fields  near  Katalla, 
that  an  entryman  cannot  bear  it  alone ;  while  the  expense 
of  getting  provisions  and  tools  from  salt-water  into  the 
interior  is  simply  prohibitive  to  most  locators,  unless  they 
can  combine  and  divide  the  expense. 

These  early  discoverers  and  locators  acted  in  good 
faith.  The  lands  were  entered  as  coal  lands ;  there  was 
no  fraud  and  no  attempt  at  fraud  ;   not  one  person  sought 


310  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

to  take  up  coal  land  as  homestead,  nor  with  scrip,  nor  in 
any  fraudulent  manner. 

There  was  some  carelessness  in  the  observance  of  new 
rules  and  regulations,  but  there  was  excuse  for  this  in  the 
fact  that  Alaska  is  far  from  Congress  and  news  travels 
slowly ;  also,  it  has  been  the  belief  of  Alaskans  that  when 
a  man,  after  the  infinite  labor  and  deprivation  necessary  to 
successful  prospecting  in  Alaska,  has  found  anything  of 
value  on  the  public  domain,  he  could  aj)propriate  it  with 
the  surety  that  his  right  thereto  would  be  recognized  and 
respected;  and  that  any  slight  mistakes  that  might  be 
made  technically  would  be  condoned,  provided  that  they 
were  honest  ones  and  not  made  with  the  intent  to  defraud 
the  government. 

The  oldest  coal  mine  in  Alaska  is  located  just  within 
the  entrance  to  Cook  Inlet,  on  tlie  western  shore,  at  Coal 
Harbor.  There,  in  the  early  fifties,  the  Russians  began 
extensive  operations,  importing  experienced  German  min- 
ers to  direct  a  large  force  of  Muscovite  laborers  sent  from 
Sitka,  and  running  their  machinery  by  steam. 

Shafts  were  sunk,  and  a  drift  run  into  the  vein  for  a 
distance  of  one  thousand  seven  hundred  feet.  During  a 
period  of  three  years  two  thousand*  seven  hundred  tons 
of  coal  were  mined,  but  the  result  was  a  loss  to  the  enter- 
prising Russians. 

Its  extent  was  practically  unlimited,  but  the  quality 
was  found  to  be  too  poor  for  the  use  of  steamers. 

It  is  only  within  the  past  three  years  that  the  fine  qual- 
ity of  much  of  the  coal  found  in  Alaska  has  been  made 
known  by  government  experts. 

It  was  inconceivable  that  Congress  should  hesitate  to 
enact  such  laws  as  would  help  to  develop  Alaska ;  yet  it 
was  not  until  late  in  the  spring  that  bills  were  passed  which 
greatly  relieved  the  situation  and  insured  the  building  of 
the  road  upon  which  the  future  of  this  district  depends. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

Cook  Inlet  is  so  sheltered  and  is  favored  by  a  climate 
so  agreeable  that  it  was  called  "  Summer-land  "  by  the 
Russians. 

Across  Kachemak  Bay  from  Seldovia  is  Homer  — 
another  town  of  the  inlet  blessed  with  a  poetic  name. 
When  I  landed  at  its  wharf,  in  1905,  it  was  the  saddest, 
sweetest  place  in  Alaska.  It  was  but  the  touching  phan- 
tom of  a  town. 

We  reached  it  at  sunset  of  a  June  day. 

A  low,  green,  narrow  spit  runs  for  several  miles  out 
into  the  waters  of  the  inlet,  bordered  by  a  gravelly  beach. 
Here  is  a  railroad  running  eight  miles  to  the  Cook  Inlet 
coal-fields,  a  telephone  line,  roundhouses,  machine-shops, 
engines  and  cars,  a.  good  wharf,  some  of  the  best  store 
buildings  and  residences  in  Alaska,  —  all  painted  white  with 
soft  red  roofs,  and  all  deserted  ! 

On  this  low  and  lovely  spit,  fronting  the  divinely  blue 
sea  and  the  full  glory  of  the  sunset,  there  was  onl}^  one 
human  being,  the  postmaster.  When  the  little  Dora 
swung  lightly  into  the  wharf,  this  poor  lonely  soul  sliowed 
a  pitiable  and  patlietic  joy  at  this  fleeting  touch  of  com- 
panionship. We  all  went  ashore  and  shook  hands  with 
him  and  talked  to  him.  Then  we  returned  to  our  cabins 
and  carried  him  a  share  of  all  our  daintiest  luxuries. 

When,  after  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  the  Dora  with- 
drew slowly  into  the  great  Safrano  rose  of  the  sunset, 
leaving  him,  a  lonely,  gray  figure,  on  the  wharf,  the  look 

311 


312  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

on  his  face  made  us  turn  away,  so  that  we  could  not  see 
one  another's  eyes. 

It  was  like  the  look  of  a  dog  who  stands  helpless,  lonely, 
and  cannot  follow. 

I  have  never  been  able  to  forget  that  man.  He  was  so 
gentle,  so  simple,  so  genuinely  pleased  and  grateful  —  and 
so  lonely ! 

As  I  write,  Homer  is  once  more  a  town,  instead  of  a 
phantom.  1  no  longer  picture  him  alone  in  those  empty, 
echoing,  red-roofed  buildings ;  but  one  of  my  most  vivid 
and  tormenting  memories  of  Alaska  is  of  a  gray  figure, 
with  a  little  pathetic  stoop,  going  up  the  path  from  the 
wharf,  in  the  splendor  of  that  June  sunset,  with  his  dog  at 
his  side. 

The  Act  of  1902,  commonly  known  as  the  Alaska  Game 
Law,  defines  game,  fixes  open  seasons,  restricts  the  num- 
ber which  may  be  killed,  declares  certain  methods  of 
hunting  unlawful,  prohibits  the  sale  of  hides,  skins,  or 
heads  at  any  time,  and  prohibts  exjDort  of  game  animals,  or 
birds  —  except  for  scientific  purposes,  for  propagation, 
or  for  trophies  —  under  restrictions  prescribed  by  the 
Department  of  Agriculture.  The  law  also  authorizes  the 
Secretary  of  Agriculture,  when  such  action  shall  be  neces- 
sary, to  place  further  restrictions  on  killing  in  certain 
regions.  The  importance  of  this  provision  is  already  ap- 
parent. Owing  to  the  fact  that  nearly  all  persons  who 
go  to  Alaska  to  kill  big  game  visit  a  few  easily  accessible 
localities  —  notably  Kadiak  Island,  the  Kenai  Peninsula, 
and  the  vicinity  of  Cook  Inlet — it  has  become  necessary 
to  protect  the  game  of  these  localities  by  special  regula- 
tions, in  order  to  prevent  its  speedy  destruction. 

The  object  of  the  act  is  to  protect  the  game  of  the  terri- 
tory so  far  as  possible  from  the  mere  "  killer."  but  without 
causing  unnecessary  hardship.  Therefore,  Indians,  Eskimos, 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  313 

miners,  or  explorers  actually  in  need  of  food,  are  per- 
mitted to  kill  game  for  their  immediate  use.  The  excep- 
tion in  favor  of  natives,  miners,  and  explorers  must  be 
construed  strictly.  It  must  not  be  used  merely  as  a  pre- 
text to  kill  game  out  of  season,  for  sport  or  for  market,  or 
to  supply  canneries  or  settlements  ;  and,  under  no  circum- 
stances, can  the  hides  or  heads  of  animals  thus  killed  be 
lawfully  offered  for  sale. 

Every  person  who  has  travelled  in  Alaska  knows  that 
these  laws  are  violated  daily.  An  amusing  incident  oc- 
curred on  the  Dora,  on  the  first  morning  "to  Westward" 
from  Seward.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  eat  anything  that  is 
forbidden  ;  but  I  had  seen  fried  moose  steak  in  Seward. 
It  resembles  slices  of  pure  beef  tenderloin,  fried. 

It  chanced  that  at  our  first  breakfast  on  the  Dora  I 
found  fried  beef  tenderloin  on  the  bill  of  fare,  and  or- 
dered it.  Scarcely  had  I  been  served  when  in  came  the 
gentleman  from  Boston,  who,  through  his  alert  and  insati- 
able curiosity  concerning  all  things  Alaskan  and  his  keen 
desire  to  experience  every  possible  Alaskan  sensation, — 
all  with  the  greatest  naivete  and  good  humor, —  had 
endeared  himself  to  us  all  on  our  long  journey  together. 

"  What's  that  ? "  asked  he,  briskly,  scenting  a  new 
experience  on  my  plate. 

"  Moose,"  said  I,  sweetly. 

"  Moose  —  moose  !  "  cried  he,  excitedly,  seizing  his  bill 
of  fare.     "  I'll  have  some.     Where  is  it  ?     I  don't  see  it  !  " 

"■  Hush-h-h,"  said  I,  sternly.  "  It  is  not  on  the  bill  of 
fare.     It  is  out  of  season." 

"  Then  how  shall  I  get  it  ?  "  he  cried,  anxiously.  "  I 
must  have  some." 

"  Tell  the  waiter  to  bring  you  the  same  that  he  brought 
me." 

When  the  dear,  gentle  Japanese,  "  Cliarlie,"  came  to 
serve  him,  he  shamelessly  pointed  at  my  plate. 


314  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"  I'll  have  some  of  that,"  said  he,  mysteriously. 

Charlie  bowed,  smiled  like  a  seraph,  and  withdrew,  to 
return  presently  with  a  piece  of  beef  tenderloin. 

The  gentleman  from  Boston  fairly  pounced  upon  it. 
We  all  watched  him  expectantly.  His  expression  changed 
from  anticipation  to  satisfaction,  delight,  rapture. 

"  That's  the  most  delicious  thing  I  ever  ate,"  he  burst 
forth,  presently. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  I.  "  Really,  I  was  disap- 
pointed.    It  tastes  very  much  like  beefsteak  to  me." 

"  Beefsteak  !  "  said  he,  scornfully.  "  It  tastes  no  more 
like  beefsteak  than  pie  tastes  like  cabbage  !  What  a  pity 
to  waste  it  on  one  who  cannot  appreciate  its  delicate  wild 
flavor!" 

Months  afterward  he  sent  me  a  marked  copy  of  a  Boston 
newspaper,  in  which  he  had  written  enthusiastically  of 
the  "  rare,  wild  flavor,  haunting  as  a  poet's  dream,"  of 
the  moose  which  he  had  eaten  on  the  Dora. 

In  addition  to  the  animals  commonly  regarded  as  game, 
walrus  and  brown  bear  are  protected;  but  existing  laws 
relating  to  the  fur-seal,  sea-otter,  or  other  fur-bearing 
animals  are  not  affected.  The  act  creates  no  close  sea- 
son for  black  bear,  and  contains  no  prohibition  against 
the  sale  or  shipment  of  their  skins  or  heads  ;  but  those 
of  brown  bear  may  be  shipped  only  in  accordance  with 
regulations. 

The  Act  of  1908  amends  the  former  act  as  follows :  — 

It  is  unlawful  for  any  person  in  Alaska  to  kill  any  wild 
game,  animals,  or  birds,  except  during  the  following  sea- 
sons :  north  of  latitude  sixty-two  degrees,  brown  bear 
may  be  killed  at  any  time ;  moose,  caribou,  sheep,  wal- 
rus and  sea-lions,  from  August  1  to  December  10,  inclu- 
sive ;  south  of  latitude  sixty -two  degrees,  moose,  caribou, 
and  mountain  sheep,  from  August  20  to  December  31,  in- 
clusive ;  brown  bear,  from  October  1  to  July  1,  inclusive ; 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  315 

deer  and  mountain  goats,  from  August  1  to  February  1, 
inclusive  ;  grouse,  ptarmigan,  shore  birds,  and  water  fowl, 
from  September  1  to  March  1,  inclusive. 

The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  is  authorized,  whenever 
he  may  deem  it  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  game 
animals  or  birds,  to  make  and  publish  rules  and  regula- 
tions which  shall  modify  the  close  seasons  established,  or 
to  provide  different  close  seasons  for  different  parts  of 
Alaska,  or  to  place  further  limitations  and  restrictions 
on  the  killing  of  such  animals  or  birds  in  any  given  lo- 
cality, or  to  prohibit  killing  entirely  for  a  period  not 
exceeding  two  years  in  such  locality. 

It  is  unlawful  for  any  person  at  any  time  to  kill  any 
females  or  yearlings  of  moose,  or  for  any  one  person  to 
kill  in  one  year  more  than  the  number  specified  of  each 
of  the  following  game  animals  :  Two  moose,  one  walrus 
or  sea-lion,  three  caribou,  sheep,  or  large  brown  bear  ; 
or  to  kill  or  have  in  his  possession  in  any  one  day  more 
than  twenty-five  grouse  or  ptarmigan,  or  twenty-five  shore 
birds  or  water  fowl. 

The  killing  of  caribou  on  the  Kenai  Peninsula  is  pro- 
hibited until  August  20,  1912. 

It  is  unlawful  for  any  non-resident  of  Alaska  to  hunt 
any  of  the  protected  game  animals,  except  deer  and  goats, 
without  first  obtaining  a  hunting  license;  or  to  hunt  on 
the  Kenai  Peninsula  without  a  registered  guide,  such 
license  not  being  transferable  and  valid  only  during  the 
year  of  issue.  The  fee  for  this  license  is  fifty  dollars  to 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  one  hundred  dollars  to 
foreigners;  it  is  accompanied  by  coupons  authorizing  the 
shipment  of  two  moose,  —  if  killed  north  of  sixty-two 
degrees,  —  four  deer,  three  caribou,  sheep,  goats,  brown 
bear,  or. any  part  of  said  animals,  A  resident  of  Alaska 
may  ship  heads  or  trophies  by  obtaining  a  shipping  license 
for  this  purpose.     A  fee  of  forty  dollars  permits  the  ship- 


316        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ment  of  heads  or  trophies  as  follows:  one  moose,  if  killed 
north  of  sixty-two  degrees  ;  four  deer,  two  caribou,  two 
sheep,  goats,  or  brown  bear.  A  fee  of  ten  dollars  permits 
the  shipment  of  a  single  head  or  trophy  of  caribou  or 
sheep;  and  one  of  five,  that  of  goat,  deer,  or  brown  bear. 
It  costs  just  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  to  ship  any  part 
of  a  moose  killed  south  of  sixty-two  degrees.  Further- 
more, before  any  trophy  may  be  shipped  from  Alaska,  the 
person  desiring  to  make  such  shipment  shall  first  make 
and  file  with  the  customs  office  of  the  port  where  the  ship- 
ment is  to  be  made,  an  affidavit  to  the  effect  that  he  has 
not  violated  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  act ;  that  the 
trophy  has  been  neither  bought  nor  sold,  and  is  not  to  be 
shipped  for  sale,  and  that  he  is  the  owner  thereof. 

The  Governor  of  Alaska,  in  issuing  a  license,  requires 
the  applicant  to  state  whether  the  trophies  are  to  be 
shipped  through  the  ports  of  entry  of  Seattle,  Portland,  or 
San  Francisco,  and  he  notifies  the  collector  at  the  given 
port  as  to  the  name  of  the  license  holder,  and  name  and 
address  of  the  consignee. 

After  reading  these  rigid  laws,  I  cannot  help  wondering 
whether  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  ever  saw  an  Alaskan 
mountain  sheep.  If  he  has  seen  one  and  should  unex- 
pectedly come  across  some  poor  wretch  smuggling  the 
head  of  one  out  of  Alaska,  he  would  —  unless  his  heart  is 
as  hard  as  "  stun-cancer,"  as  an  old  lady  once  said  —  just 
turn  his  eyes  in  another  direction  and  refuse  to  see  what 
was  not  meant  for  his  vision. 

The  Alaskan  sheep  does  not  resemble  those  of  Montana 
and  other  sheep  countries.  It  is  more  delicate  and  far 
more  beautiful.  There  is  a  deerlike  grace  in  the  j)oise  of 
its  head,  a  fine  and  sensitive  outline  to  nostril  and  mouth,  a 
tenderness  in  the  great  dark  eyes,  that  is  at  once  startled 
and  appealing;  while  the  wide,  graceful  sweep  of  the  horns 
is  unrivalled. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  317 

The  head  of  the  moose,  as  well  as  of  tlie  caribou,  is  impos- 
ing, but  coarse  and  ugly.  TJie  antlers  of  the  delicate- 
headed  deer  are  pretty,  but  lack  the  power  of  the  horns  of 
the  Alaskan  slieep.  The  Montana  sheep's  head  is  almost 
as  coarse  as  that  of  the  moose.  The  dainty  ears  and 
soft-colored  hair  of  the  Alaskan  sheep  are  fawnlike. 
From  the  Alaska  Central  trains  near  Lake  Kenai,  the 
sheep  may  be  seen  feeding  on  the  mountain  that  has  been 
named  for  them. 

Cape  Douglas,  at  the  entrance  to  Cook  Inlet,  is  the  ad- 
miration of  all  save  the  careful  navigator  who  usually  at 
this  point  meets  such  distressing  winds  and  tides  that  he 
has  no  time  to  devote  to  the  contemplation  of  scenery. 

This  noble  promontory  thrusts  itself  boldly  out  into  the 
sea  for  a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  where  it  sinks  sheer 
for  a  thousand  feet  to  the  pale  green  surf  that  breaks  ever- 
lastingly upon  it.  It  is  far  more  striking  and  imposing 
than  the  more  famous  Cape  Elizabeth  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  entrance  to  the  inlet. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

The  heavy  forestation  of  the  Northwest  Coast  ceases 
finally  at  the  Kenai  Peninsula.  Kadiak  Island  is  sparsely 
wooded  in  sylvan  groves,  with  green  slopes  and  valleys 
between;  but  the  islands  lying  beyond  are  bare  of  trees. 
Sometimes  a  low,  shrubby  willow  growth  is  seen;  but  for 
the  most  part  the  thousands  of  islands  are  covered  in 
summer  with  grasses  and  mosses,  which,  drenched  by  fi'e- 
quent  mists  and  rain,  are  of  a  brilliant  and  dazzling  green. 

The  Aleutian  Islands  drift  out,  one  after  another, 
toward  the  coast  of  Asia,  like  an  emerald  rosary  on  the 
blue  breast  of  Behring  Sea.  The  only  tree  in  the  Aleutian 
Islands  is  a  stunted  evergreen  growing  at  the  gate  of  a 
residence  in  Unalaska,  on  the  island  of  the  same  name. 

The  prevailing  atmospheric  color  of  Alaska  is  a  kind  of 
misty,  rosy  lavender,  enchantingly  blended  from  different 
shades  of  violet,  rose,  silver,  azure,  gold,  and  green.  The 
water  coloring  changes  hourly.  One  passes  from  a  narrow 
channel  whose  waters  are  of  the  most  delicate  green  into  a 
wider  reach  of  the  palest  blue;  and  from  this  into  a  gulf 
of  sun-flecked  purple. 

The  summer  voyage  out  among  the  Aleutian  Islands  is 
lovely  beyond  all  description.  It  is  a  sweet,  dreamlike 
drifting  through  a  water  world  of  rose  and  lavender,  along 
the  pale  green  velvety  hills  of  the  islands.  There  are  no 
adjectives  that  will  clearly  describe  this  greenness  to  one 
who  has  not  seen  it.  It  is  at  once  so  soft  and  so  vivid; 
it  flames  out  like  the  dazzling  green  fire  of  an  emerald,  and 
pales  to  the  lighter  green  of  the  chr}' sophrase. 

PA8 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  319 

Marvellous  sunset  effects  are  frequently  seen  on  these 
waters.  There  was  one  which  we  saw  in  broad  gulfs, 
which  gathered  in  a  point  on  the  purple  water  about 
nine  o'clock.  Every  color  and  shade  of  color  burned 
in  this  point,  like  a  superb  fire  opal ;  and  from  it  were 
flung  rays  of  different  coloring  —  so  far,  so  close,  so 
mistily  brilliant,  and  so  tremulously  ethereal,  that  in 
shape  and 'fabric  it  resembled  a  vast  thistle-down  blow- 
ing before  us  on  the  water.  Often  we  sailed  directly 
into  it  and  its  fragile  color  needles  were  shattered  and 
fell  about  us ;  but  immediately  another  formed  farther 
ahead,  and  trembled  and  throbbed  until  it,  too,  was 
overtaken  and  shattered  before  our  eyes. 

At  other  times  the  sunset  sank  over  us,  about  us, 
and  upon  us,  like  a  cloud  of  gold  and  scarlet  dust  that 
is  scented  with  coming  rain ;  but  of  all  the  different 
sunset  effects  that  are  but  memories  now,  the  most  un- 
usual was  a  great  mist  of  brilliant,  vivid  green  just 
touched  with  fire,  that  went  marching  down  the  wide 
straits  of  Shelikoff  late  one  night  in  June. 

Early  on  the  morning  after  leaving  Cook  Inlet,  the 
"  early-decker "  will  find  the  Dora  steaming  lightly 
past  Afognak  Island  through  the  narrow  channel  sepa- 
rating it  from  Marmot  Island.  This  was  the  most  sil- 
very, divinely  blue  stretch  of  water  I  saw  in  Alaska, 
with  the  exception  of  Behring  Sea.  The  morning  that 
we  sailed  into  Marmot  Bay  was  an  exceptionally  suave 
one  in  June ;  and  the  color  of  the  water  may  have 
been  due  to  the  softness  of  the  day. 

We  had  passed  Sea  Lion  Rocks,  where  hundreds  of 
these  animals  lie  upon  the  rocky  shelves,  with  lifted, 
narrow  heads,  moving  nervously  from  side  to  side  in 
serpent  fashion,  and  whom  a  boat's  whistle  sends  plung- 
ing headlong  into  the  sea. 

The  southern  point  of  Marmot  Island  is  the  Cape  St. 


320  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Hermogenes  of  Beliring,  a  name  that  has  been  perpetu- 
ated to  this  day.  The  steamer  passes  between  it  and 
PiUar  Point,  and  at  one  o'clock  of  the  same  day  through 
the  winding,  ishmded  harbor  of  Kadiak. 

This  settlement  is  on  tlie  island  that  won  the  heart 
of  John  Burroughs  wlien  he  visited  it  with  the  famous 
Harriman  Expedition  —  the  Island  of  Kadiak. 

I  voyaged  with  a  pilot  who  had  accompanied  the  ex- 
pedition. 

"Those  scientists,  now,"  he  said,  musingly,  one  day 
as  he  paced  the  bridge,  with  his  hands  behind  him. 
"  They  were  a  real  study  for  a  fellow  like  me.  The 
genuine  big-bugs  in  that  party  were  the  finest  gentle- 
men you  ever  saw;  but  the  little-hugs  —  sa}^  they  put 
on  more  dog  than  a  bogus  prince  I  They  were  always 
demanding  something  they  couldn't  get  and  acting  as 
if  they  was  afraid  somebody  might  think  they  didn't 
amount  to  anything.  An  officer  on  a  ship  can  always 
tell  a  gentleman  in  two  minutes  —  his  wants  are  so  few 
and  his  tastes  so  simple.  John  Burroughs?  Oh,  say, 
every  man  on  the  ship  liked  Mr.  Burroughs.  I  don't 
know  as  you'd  ought  to  call  him  a  gentleman.  You 
see,  gentlemen  live  on  earth,  and  he  was  way  up 
above  the  earth  —  in  the  clouds,  you  know.  He'd  look 
right  through  yon  with  the  sweetest  eyes,  and  never 
see  you.  But  flowers  —  well,  Jeff  Davis!  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs could  see  a  flower  half  a  mile  away  !  You  could 
talk  to  him  all  day,  and  he  wouldn't  hear  a  word  you 
said  to  him,  any  more  than  if  he  was  deef  as  a  post. 
I  thought  he  was,  the  longest  while.  But  Jeff  Davis  ! 
just  let  a  bird  sing  on  shore  when  we  were  sailing 
along  close.  His  deefness  wasn't  particularly  noticeable 
then  !  .  .  .  He'd  go  ashore  and  dawdle  'way  off  from 
everybody  else,  and  come  back  with  his  arms  full  of 
flowers." 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  321 

Mr.  Burroughs  was  charmed  with  the  sylvan  beauty 
of  Kadiak  Island  ;  its  pale  blue,  cloud-dappled  skies  and 
deep  blue,  islanded  seas ;  its  narrow,  winding  water- 
ways ;  its  dimpled  hills,  silvery  streams,  and  wooded 
dells ;  its  acres  upon  acres  of  flowers  of  every  variety, 
hue  and  size  ;  its  vivid  green,  grassy,  and  mossy  slopes, 
crests,  and  meadows  ;  its  delightful  air  and  singing  birds. 

He  was  equally  charmed  with  Wood  Island,  which  is 
only  fifteen  minutes'  row  from  Kadiak,  and  spent  much 
time  in  its  melodious  dells,  turning  his  back  upon  both 
islands  with  reluctance,  and  afterward  writing  of  them 
appreciative  words  which  their  people  treasure  in  their 
hearts  and  proudly  quote  to  the  stranger  who  reaches 
those  lovely  shores. 

The  name  Kadiak  was  originally  Kaniag,  the  natives 
calling  themselves  Kaniagists  or  Kaniagmuts.  The  is- 
land was  discovered  in  1763,  by  Stephen  Glottoff. 

His  reception  by  the  natives  was  not  of  a  nature  to 
warm  the  cockles  of  his  heart.  They  approached  in 
their  skin-boats,  but  his  godson,  Ivan  Glottoff,  a  young 
Aleut  interpreter,  could  not  make  them  understand  him, 
and  they  fled  in  apparent  fear. 

Some  days  later  they  returned  with  an  Aleutian  boy 
whom  they  had  captured  in  a  conflict  with  the  natives 
of  the  Island  of  Sannakh,  and  he  served  as  interpreter. 

The  natives  of  Kadiak  differ  greatly  from  those  of 
the  Aleutian  Islands,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
islands  drift  into  one  another. 

The  Kadiaks  were  more  intelligent  and  ambitious,  and 
of  much  finer  appearance,  than  the  Aleutians. 

They  were  of  a  fiercer  and  more  warlike  nature,  and 
refused  to  meet  the  friendly  advances  of  Glottoff.  The 
latter,  therefore,  kept  at  some  distance  from  the  shore, 
and  a  watch  was  set  night  and  day. 


322       ALASKA  :    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY 

Nevertheless,  the  Kadiaks  made  an  early-morning  at- 
tack, firing  upon  the  watches  with  arrows  and  attempt- 
ing to  set  fire  to  the  ship.  They  fled  in  the  wildest 
disorder  upon  the  discharge  of  firearms,  scattering  in 
their  flight  ludicrous  ladders,  dried  moss,  and  other  ma- 
terials with  which  they  had  expected  to  destroy  the  ship. 

AVithin  four  days  they  made  another  attack,  provided 
with  wooden  shields  to  wai^d  off  the  musket-balls. 

They  were  again  driven  to  the  shore.  At  the  end  of 
three  weeks  they  made  a  third  and  last  attack,  protected 
by  immense  breastworks,  over  which  they  cast  spears  and 
arrows  upon  the  decks. 

As  these  shields  appeared  to  be  bullet-proof  and  the 
natives  continued  to  advance,  Glottoff  landed  a  body  of 
men  and  made  a  fierce  attack,  which  had  the  desired 
effect.  The  savages  dropped  their  shields  and  fled  from 
the  neighborhood. 

When  Von  H.  J.  Holmberg  was  on  the  island,  he  per- 
suaded an  old  native  to  dictate  a  narrative  to  an  in- 
terpreter, concerning  the  arrival  of  the  first  ship  —  which 
was  undoubtedly  Glottoff's.  This  narrative  is  of  poignant 
interest,  presenting,  as  it  does,  so  simply  and  so  eloquently, 
the  "other"  point  of  view — that  of  the  first  inhabitant  of 
the  country,  which  we  so  seldom  hear.  For  this  reason, 
and  for  the  charm  of  its  style,  I  reproduce  it  in  part:  — 

"  I  was  a  boy  of  nine  or  ten  years,  for  I  was  already  set 
to  paddle  a  bidarka,  when  the  first  Russian  ship,  with  two 
masts,  appeared  near  Cape  Aleulik.  Before  that  time  we 
had  never  seen  a  ship.  We  had  intercourse  with  the  Ag- 
legnutes,  of  the  Aliaska  Peninsula,  with  the  Tnaianas  of 
the  Kenai  Peninsula,  and  with  the  Koloshes,  of  south- 
eastern Alaska.  Some  wise  men  even  knew  something  of 
the  Californias  ;  but  of  white  men  and  their  ships  we  knew 
nothing. 

"  The  ship  looked  like  a  great  whale  at  a  distance.    We 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  323 

went  out  to  sea  in  our  bidarkas,  but  we  soon  found  that  it 
was  no  whale,  but  another  unknown  monster  of  which  we 
were  afraid,  and  the  smell  of  which  made  us  sick." 

(In  all  literature  and  history  and  real  life,  I  know  of 
no  single  touch  of  unintentional  humor  so  entirely  deli- 
cious as  this:  that  any  odor  could  make  an  Alaskan  na- 
tive, of  any  locality  or  tribe,  sick  ;  and  of  all  things,  an 
odor  connected  with  a  white  person  !  It  appears  that  in 
more  ways  than  one  this  old  native's  story  is  of  value.) 

"  The  people  on  the  ship  had  buttons  on  their  clothes, 
and  at  first  we  thought  they  must  be  cuttle-fish.'"  (More 
unintentional,  and  almost  as  delicious,  humor  !)  "  But 
when  we  saw  them  put  fire  into  their  mouths  and  blow 
out  smoke  we  knew  that  they  must  be  devils.''' 

(Did  any  early  navigator  ever  make  a  neater  criticism 
of  the  natives  than  these  innocent  ones  of  the  first  white 
visitors  to  their  shores  ?^ 

"  The  ship  sailed  by  .  .  .  into  Kaniat,  or  Alitak,  Bay, 
where  it  anchored.  We  followed,  full  of  fear,  and  at  the 
same  time  curious  to  see  what  would  become  of  the  strange 
apparition,  but  we  did  not  dare  to  approach  the  ship. 

"  Among  our  people  was  a  brave  warrior  named  Ishinik, 
who  was  so  bold  tliat  he  feared  nothing  in  the  world  ;  lie 
undertook  to  visit  the  ship,  and  came  back  with  presents 
in  his  hand,  —  a  red  shirt,  an  Aleut  hood,  and  some  glass 
beads."  (Glottoff  describes  this  visit,  and  the  gifts 
bestowed.) 

"He  said  there  was  nothing  to  fear;  that  they  only 
wished  to  buy  sea-otter  skins,  and  to  give  us  glass  beads 
and  other  riches  for  them.  We  did  not  fully  believe  this 
statement.  The  old  and  wise  people  held  a  council. 
Some  thought  the  strangers  might  bring  us  sickness. 

"  Our  people  formerly  were  at  war  with  the  Fox  Island 
people.  My  father  once  made  a  raid  on  Unalaska  and 
brought  back,  among  other  booty,  a  little  girl  left  by  her 


324  ALASKA:     TUE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

fleeing  people.  As  a  prisoner  taken  in  war,  she  was  our 
slave,  but  my  father  treated  her  like  a  daughter,  and 
brought  her  up  with  his  own  children.  We  called  her 
Plioo,  which  means  ashes,  because  she  was  taken  from 
the  ashes  of  her  home.  On  the  Russian  ship  which  came 
from  Unalaska  were  many  Aleuts,  and  among  them  the 
father  of  our  slave.  He  came  to  my  father's  house,  and 
when  he  found  that  his  daughter  was  not  kept  like  a  slave, 
but  was  well  cared  for,  he  told  him  confidentially,  out  of 
gratitude,  that  the  Russians  would  take  the  sea-otter 
skins  without  payment,  if  they  could. 

"This  warning  saved  my  father.  The  Russians  came 
ashore  with  the  Aleuts,  and  the  latter  persuaded  our  peo- 
ple to  trade,  saying,  '  Why  are  you  afraid  of  the  Russians  ? 
Look  at  us.     We  live  with  them,  and  they  do  us  no  harm.' 

"  Our  people,  dazzled  by  the  sight  of  such  quantities  of 
goods,  left  their  weapons  in  the  bidarkas  and  went  to  the 
Russians  with  the  sea-otter  skins.  While  they  were  busy 
trading,  the  Aleuts,  who  carried  arms  concealed  about 
them,  at  a  signal  from  the  Russians,  fell  upon  our  people, 
killing  about  thirty  and  taking  away  their  sea-otter  skins. 
A  few  men  had  cautiously  watched  the  result  of  the  first 
intercourse  from  a  distance  —  among  them  my  father." 
(The  poor  fellow  told  this  proudly,  not  understanding 
that  he  thus  confessed  a  shameful  and  cowardly  act  on 
his  father's  part.) 

"  These  attempted  to  escape  in  their  bidarkas,  but  they 
were  overtaken  by  the  Aleuts  and  killed.  My  father 
alone  was  saved  by  the  father  of  his  slave,  who  gave  him 
his  bidarka  when  my  father's  own  had  been  pierced  by 
arrows  and  was  sinking. 

"  In  this  he  fled  to  Akhiok.  My  father's  name  was 
Penashigak.  The  time  of  the  arrival  of  this  ship  was 
August,  as  the  whales  were  coming  into  the  bays,  and 
the  berries  were  ripe. 


Photo  by  J.  Dr.o.lv,  I):nvson 


A  Home   ix  the   Yikon 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  325 

"  The  Russians  remained  for  the  winter,  but  could  not 
find  sufficient  food  in  Kaniat  Bay.  They  were  compelled 
to  leave  the  ship  in  charge  of  a  few  watchmen  and  moved 
into  a  bay  opposite  Aiakhtalik  Island.  Here  was  a  lake 
full  of  herrings  and  a  kind  of  smelt.  They  lived  in  tents 
through  the  winter.  The  brave  Ishinik,  who  first  dared 
to  visit  the  ship,  was  liked  by  the  Russians,  and  acted  as 
mediator.  When  the  fish  decreased  in  the  lake  during 
the  winter,  the  Russians  moved  about  from  place  to  place. 
Whenever  we  saw  a  boat  coming,  at  a  distance,  we  fled  to 
the  hills,  and  when  we  returned,  no  dried  fish  could  be 
found  in  the  houses. 

"In  the  lake  near  the  Russian  camp  there  was  a  poison- 
ous kind  of  starfish.  We  knew  it  very  well,  but  said 
nothing  about  it  to  the  Russians.  We  never  ate  them, 
and  even  the  gulls  would  not  touch  them.  Many  Rus- 
sians died  from  eating  them.  We  injured  them,  also, 
in  other  ways.  They  put  up  fox-traps,  and  we  removed 
them  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  the  iron  material.  The 
Russians  left  during  the  following  year." 

This  native's  name  was  Arsenti  Aminak.  There  are 
several  slight  discrepancies  between  his  narrative  and 
Glottoff's  account,  especially  as  to  time.  He  does  not 
mention  the  hostile  attacks  of  his  people  upon  the  Rus- 
sians ;  and  these  differences  puzzle  Bancroft  and  make 
him  sceptical  concerning  the  veracity  of  the  native's 
account. 

It  is  barely  possible,  however,  that  Glottoff  imagined 
these  attacks,  as  an  excuse  for  his  own  merciless  slaughter 
of  the  Kadiaks. 

As  to  the  discrepancy  in  time,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  Arsenti  Aminak  was  an  old  man  when  he  related  the 
events  which  had  occurred  when  he  was  a  young  lad  of 
nine  or  ten.  White  lads  of  that  age  are  not  possessed  of 
vivid  memories  ;    and  possibly  the  little  brown  lad,  just 


326  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"set  to  paddle  a  bidarka,"  was  not  more  brilliant  than  his 
white  brothers. 

It  is  wiser  to  trust  the  word  of  the  early  native  than 
that  of  the  early  navigator  —  witli  a  few  illustrious  excep- 
tions. 

Kadiak  is  the  second  in  size  of  Alaskan  islands, — 
Prince  of  Wales  Island  in  southeastern  Alaska  being 
slightly  larger, — and  no  island,  unless  it  be  Baranoff,  is 
of  more  historic  interest  and  charm.  It  was  from  this 
island  that  Gregory  Shelikoff  and  his  capable  wife  directed 
the  vast  and  profitable  enterprises  of  the  Shelikoff  Com- 
pany, having  finally  succeeded,  in  1784,  in  making  the 
lirst  permanent  Russian  settlement  in  America  at  Three 
Saints  Bay,  on  tlie  southeastern  coast  of  this  island. 
Barracks,  offices,  counting-houses,  storehouses,  and  shops 
of  various  kinds  were  built,  and  the  settlement  was 
guarded  against  native  attack  by  two  armed  vessels. 

It  was  here  that  the  first  missionary  establishment  and 
school  of  the  Northwest  Coast  of  America  were  located  ; 
and  here  was  built  the  iirst  great  warehouse  of  logs. 

Shelikoff 's  welcome  from  the  fierce  Kadiaks,  in  1784, 
was  not  more  cordial  than  Glottoff's  had  been.  His  ships 
were  repeatedly  attacked,  and  it  was  not  until  he  had  fired 
upon  them,  causing  great  loss  of  life  and  general  conster- 
nation among  them,  that  he  obtained  possession  of  the 
harbor. 

Shelikoff  lost  no  time  in  preparing  for  permanent  occu- 
pancy of  the  island.  Dwellings  and  fortifications  were 
erected.  His  own  residence  was  furnished  with  all  the 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  civilization,  which  he  collected 
from  his  ships,  for  the  purpose  of  inspiring  the  natives 
with  respect  for  a  superior  mode  of  living.  They  watched 
the  construction  of  buildings  with  great  curiosity,  and  at 
last  volunteered  their  own  services  in  the  work. 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTBY  327 

Shelikoff  personally  conducted  a  school,  endeavoring  to 
teach  both  children  and  adults  the  Russian  language  and 
arithmetic,  as  well  as  religion. 

In  1796  Father  Juvenal,  a  young  Russian  priest  who 
had  been  sent  to  the  colonies  as  a  missionary,  wrote  as 
follows  concerning  his  work  :  — 

"  With  the  help  of  God,  a  school  was  opened  to-day  at 
this  place,  the  first  since  the  attempt  of  the  late  Mr.  Sheli- 
koff to  instruct  the  natives  of  this  neighborhood.  Eleven 
boys  and  several  grown  men  were  in  attendance.  When 
I  read  prayers  they  seemed  very  attentive,  and  were 
evidently  deeply  impressed,  although  they  did  not  under- 
stand the  language.  .  .  .  When  school  was  closed,  I 
went  to  the  river  with  my  boys,  and  u'ith  the  help  of  God  " 
(the  italics  are  mine)  "  we  caught  one  hundred  and 
three  salmon  of  large  size." 

The  school  prospered  and  was  giving  entire  satisfaction 
when  Baranoff  transferred  Father  Juvenal  to  Iliamna,  on 
Cook  Inlet. 

We  now  come  to  what  has  long  appealed  to  me  as  the 
most  tragic  and  heart-breaking  stor}^  of  all  Alaska  —  the 
story  of  Father  Juvenal's  betrayal  and  death  at  Iliamna. 

Of  his  last  Sabbath's  work  at  Three  Saints,  Father  Ju- 
venal wrote :  — 

"  We  had  a  very  solemn  and  impressive  service  this 
morning.  Mr.  Baranoff  and  officers  and  sailors  from  the 
ship  attended,  and  also  a  large  number  of  natives.  We 
had  fine  singing,  and  a  congregation  with  great  outward 
appearance  of  devotion.  I  could  not  help  but  marvel  at 
Alexander  Alexandreievitch  (Baranoff),  who  stood  there 
and  listened,  crossing  himself  and  giving  the  responses  at 
the  proper  time,  and  joined  in  the  singing  with  the  same 
hoarse  voice  with  which  he  was  shouting  obscene  songs 
the  night  before,  when  I  saw  him  in  the  midst  of  a 
drunken  carousal  with  a  woman  seated  on  his  lap.     I  dis- 


328       ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

pensed  with  services  in  the  afternoon,  l)e(.'ause  the  traders 
were  drunk  again,  and  might  have  disturbed  us  and  dis- 
gusted the  natives." 

Father  Juvenal's  pupils  were  removed  to  Pavlovsk  and 
placed  under  the  care  of  Father  German,  who  had  recently 
opened  a  school  there. 

The  priestly  missionaries  were  treated  with  scant  cour- 
tesy by  Baranoff,  and  ceaseless  and  bitter  were  the  com- 
plaints they  made  against  him.  On  tlie  voyage  to  Iliamna, 
Father  Juvenal  complains  that  he  was  compelled  to  sleep 
in  the  hold  of  the  brigantine  Catherine,  between  bales  of 
goods  and  piles  of  dried  fish,  because  the  cabin  was  occupied 
by  Baranoff  and  his  party. 

In  his  foul  quarters,  by  the  light  of  a  dismal  lantern, 
he  wrote  a  portion  of  his  famous  journal,  which  has  be- 
come a  most  precious  human  document,  unable  to  sleep 
on  account  of  the  ribald  songs  and  drunken  revelry  of 
the  cabin. 

He  claims  to  have  been  constantly  insulted  and  humili- 
ated by  Baranoff  during  the  brief  voyage  ;  and  finally,  at 
Pavlovsk,  he  was  told  that  he  must  depend  upon  bidarkas 
for  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  to  the  Gulf  of  Kenai ; 
and  after  that  to  the  robbers  and  murderers  of  the  Lebe- 
def  Company. 

The  vicissitudes,  insults,  and  actual  suffering  of  the  voy- 
age are  vividly  set  forth  in  his  journal.  It  was  the  16th 
of  July  when  he  left  Kadiak  and  the  3d  of  September 
when  he  finally  reached  Iliamna  —  having  journeyed  by 
barkentine  to  Pavlovsk,  by  bidarka  from  island  to  island 
and  to  Cook  Inlet,  and  over  the  mountains  on  foot. 

He  was  hospitably  received  by  Shakmut,  tlie  chief,  who 
took  him  into  his  own  house  and  promised  to  build  one 
especially  for  him.  A  boy  named  Nikita,  who  had  been 
a  hostage  with  the  Russians,  acted  as  interpreter,  and  was 
later  presented  to  Father  Juvenal. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  329 

This  young  missionary  seems  to  liave  been  more  zealous 
than  diplomatic.  Immediately  upon  discovering  that  the 
boy  had  never  been  baptized,  he  performed  that  ceremony, 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  natives,  who  considered  it  some 
dark  practice  of  witchcraft. 

Juvenal  relates  with  great  naivete  that  a  pretty  young 
woman  asked  to  have  the  same  ceremony  performed  upon 
her,  that  she,  too,  might  live  in  the  same  house  with  the 
young  priest. 

The  most  powerful  shock  that  he  received,  however, 
before  the  one  that  led  to  his  death,  he  relates  in  the  fol- 
lowing simple  language,  under  date  of  September  5,  two 
days  after  his  arrival :  — 

"  It  will  be  a  relief  to  get  away  from  the  crowded  house 
of  the  chief,  where  persons  of  all  ages  and  sexes  mingle 
without  any  regard  to  decency  or  morals.  To  my  utter 
astonishment,  Shakmut  asked  me  last  night  to  share  the 
couch  of  one  of  his  wives.  He  has  three  or  four.  I  sup- 
pose such  abomination  is  the  custom  of  the  country,  and 
he  intended  no  insult.  God  gave  me  grace  to  over- 
come my  indignation,  and  to  decline  the  offer  in  a  friendly 
and  dignified  manner.  My  first  duty,  when  I  have  some- 
what mastered  the  language,  shall  be  to  preacli  against 
such  wicked  practices,  but  I  could  not  touch  upon  such 
subjects  through  a  boy  interpreter." 

The  severe  young  priest  carried  out  his  intentions  so 
zealously  that  the  cliief  and  his  friends  were  offended. 
He  commanded  them  to  put  awa}^  all  their  wives  but 
one. 

They  had  marvelled  at  his  celibacy ;  but  they  felt,  with 
the  rigid  justice  of  the  savage,  that,  if  absolutely  sincere, 
he  was  entitled  to  their  respect. 

However,  they  doubted  his  sincerity,  and  plotted  to 
satisfy  their  curiosity  upon  this  point.  A  young  Iliamna 
girl  was  bribed  to  conceal  herself  in  his  room.     Awaking 


330  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  finding  himself  in  her  arms, 
the  young  priest  was  unable  to  overcome  temptation. 

In  the  morning  he  was  overwlielmed  with  remorse  and 
a  sense  of  his  disgrace.  He  remembered  how  haughtily 
he  had  spurned  Shakmut's  offer  of  peculiar  hospitality, 
and  how  mercilessly  he  had  criticised  Baranoff  for  his 
immoral  carousals.  Remembering  these  things,  as  well 
as  the  ease  with  which  his  own  downfall  had  been  ac- 
complished, he  was  overcome  with  shame. 

"  What  a  terrible  blow  this  is  to  all  my  recent  hopes  !  " 
he  wrote,  in  his  pathetic  account  of  the  affair  in  his 
journal.  "  As  soon  as  I  regained  my  senses,  I  drove  the 
woman  out,  but  I  felt  too  guilty  to  be  very  harsh  with 
her.  How  can  I  hold  up  my  head  among  the  people,  who, 
of  course,  will  hear  of  this  affair?  .  .  .  God  is  my  witness 
that  I  have  set  down  the  truth  here  in  the  face  of  any- 
thing that  may  be  said  about  it  hereafter.  I  have  kept 
myself  secluded  to-day  from  everybody.  I  have  not  ^-et 
the  strength  to  face  the  world." 

When  Juvenal  did  face  the  small  world  of  Iliamna,  it 
was  to  be  openly  ridiculed  and  insulted  by  all.  Young 
girls  tittered  when  he  went  by  ;  his  own  boys,  whom  he 
had  taught  and  baptized,  mocked  him  ;  a  girl  put  her 
head  into  his  room  when  he  was  engaged  in  fastening  a 
heavy  bar  upon  his  door,  and  laughed  in  his  face.  Shak- 
mut  came  and  insisted  that  Juvenal  should  baptize  his 
several  wives  the  following  Sunday.  This  he  had  been 
steadily  refusing  to  do,  so  long  as  they  lived  in  daily  sin ; 
but  now,  disgraced,  broken  in  spirit,  and  no  longer  able 
to  say,  "  I  am  holier  than  thou,'''  he  wearily  consented. 

"I  shall  not  shrink  from  my  duty  to  make  him  relin- 
quisli  all  but  one  wife,  however,"  he  wrote,  with  a  last 
flash  of  his  old  spirit,  "when  the  proper  time  arrives.  If 
I  wink  at  poh'gamy  now,  I  shall  be  forever  unable  to 
combat  it.     Perhaps  it  is  only  my    imagination,   but   I 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  331 

think  I  can  discover  a  lack  of  respect  in  Nikita's  behavior 
toward  me  since  3'esterday.  .  .  .  My  disgrace  has  become 
public  already,  and  I  am  laughed  at  wherever  I  go,  espe- 
cially by  the  women.  Of  course,  they  do  not  understand 
the  sin,  but  rather  look  upon  it  as  a  good  joke.  It  will 
require  great  firmness  on  my  part  to  regain  the  respect  I 
have  lost  for  myself,  as  well  as  on  behalf  of  the  Church. 
I  have  vowed  to  burn  no  fuel  in  ray  bedroom  during  the 
entire  winter,  in  order  to  chastise  ray  body  —  a  mild  pun- 
ishment, indeed,  compared  to  the  blackness  of  my  sin." 

The  following  day  was  the  Sabbath.  It  was  with  a 
heavy  heart  that  he  baptized  Katlewah,  the  brother  of  the 
chief,  and  his  family,  the  three  wives  of  the  chief,  seven 
children,  and  one  aged  couple. 

The  same  evening  he  called  on  the  chief  and  surprised 
him  in  a  wild  carousal  with  his  wives,  in  which  he  was 
jeeringly  invited  to  join. 

Forgetting  his  disgrace  and  his  loss  of  the  right  to  con- 
demn for  sins  not  so  black  as  his  own,  the  enraged  young 
priest  vigorously  denounced  them,  and  told  the  chief  that 
he  raust  marry  one  of  the  women  according  to  the  rites  of 
the  Church  and  put  away  the  others,  or  be  forever  damned. 
The  chief,  equally  enraged,  ordered  him  out  of  the  house. 
On  his  way  home  he  met  Katlewah,  who  reproached  him 
because  his  religious  teachings  had  not  benefited  Shakraut, 
who  was  as  immoral  as  ever. 

The  end  was  now  rapidly  approaching.  On  September 
29,  less  than  a  month  after  his  arrival,  he  wrote  :  "  The 
chief  and  his  brother  have  both  been  here  this  raoi'ning 
and  abused  me  sharaefully.  Their  language  I  could  not 
understand,  but  they  spat  in  my  face  and,  what  was 
worse,  upon  the  sacred  images  on  the  walls.  Katlewah 
seized  my  vestments  and  carried  them  off,  and  I  was  left 
bleeding  from  a  blow  struck  by  an  ivory  club.  Nikita 
has  washed  and  bandaged  ray  wounds  ;  but  from  his  anx- 


332  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ious  manner  I  can  see  that  I  am  still  in  danger.  The  other 
boys  have  run  away.  My  wound  pains  me  so  that  I  can 
scarcely — " 

The  rest  is  silence.  Nikita,  who  escaped  with  Juvenal's 
journal  and  papers  and  delivered  them  to  the  revered  and 
beloved  Veniaminoff,  relates  that  the  young  priest  was 
here  fallen  upon  and  stabbed  to  death  by  his  enemies. 

Many  different  versions  of  this  pathetic  tragedy  are  given. 
I  have  chosen  Bancroft's  because  he  seems  to  have  gone 
more  deeply  and  painstakingly  into  the  small  details  that 
add  the  touch  of  human  interest  than  any  other  historian. 

The  vital  interest  of  the  story,  however,  lies  in  what  no 
one  has  told,  and  what,  therefore,  no  one  but  the  romancer 
can  ever  tell. 

It  lies  between  the  written  lines  ;  it  lies  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  this  austere  young  priest's  remorseful  suffering  for 
his  sin.  There  is  no  sign  that  he  realized  —  too  late,  as 
usual  — his  first  sin  of  intolerant  criticism  and  condemna- 
tion of  the  sins  of  others.  But  neither  did  he  spare  him- 
self, nor  shrink  from  the  terrible  results  of  his  downfall,  so 
unexpected  in  his  lofty  and  almost  flaunting  virtue.  He 
was  ready,  and  eager,  to  chastise  his  flesh  to  atone  for  his 
sin;  and  probably  only  one  who  has  spent  a  winter  in 
Alaska  could  comprehend  fully  the  hourly  suffering  that 
would  result  from  a  total  renouncement  of  fuel  for  the 
long,  dark  period  of  winter. 

Veniaminoff  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  assassination 
was  caused  not  so  much  by  his  preaching  against  polygamy 
as  by  the  fact  that  the  chiefs,  having  given  him  their  chil- 
dren to  educate  at  Kadiak,  repented  of  their  action,  and 
being  unable  to  recover  them,  turned  against  him  and  slew 
him  as  a  deceiver,  in  their  ignorance.  During  the  fatal 
attack  upon  him,  it  is  said,  Juvenal  never  thought  of  flight  or 
self-defence,  but  surrendered  himself  into  their  hands  with- 
out resistance,  asking  only  for  mercy  for  his  companions. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

In  1792  Baranoff  having  risen  to  the  command  of 
the  Shelikoff-Golikoff  Company,  decided  to  transfer  the 
settlement  of  Three  Saints  to  the  northern  end  of  the 
ishmd,  as  a  more  central  location  for  the  distribution  of 
supplies.  To-day  only  a  few  crumbling  ruins  remain  to 
mark  the  site  of  the  first  Russian  settlement  in  America 
—  an  event  of  such  vital  historic  interest  to  the  United 
States  that  a  monument  should  be  erected  there  by  this 
country. 

The  new  settlement  was  named  St.  Paul,  and  was 
situated  on  Pavlovsk  Bay,  the  present  site  of  Kadiak. 
The  great  warehouse,  built  of  logs,  and  other  ancient 
buildings  still  remain. 

It  was  during  the  year  of  Father  Juvenal's  death  — 
1796  —  that  the  first  Russo-Greek  church  was  erected 
at  St.  Paul.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  conversion 
of  twelve  thousand  natives  in  the  colonies  was  reported 
by  Father  Jossaph.  This  amazing  statement  could  only 
have  been  made  after  one  of  Baranoff's  banquets  —  to 
which  the  astute  governor,  desiring  that  a  favorable 
report  should  be  sent  to  St.  Petersburg,  doubtless  bade 
the  half-starved  priest. 

For  the  Russian-American  Company  the  Kadiaks  and 
Aleuts  were  obliged  to  hunt  and  work,  at  the  will  of  the 
officers,  and  to  sell  all  their  furs  to  the  company,  at 
prices  established  by  the  latter. 

333 


334  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Baranoff,  for  a  time  after  beconuiig  Chief  Director, 
resided  in  Kodiak.  All  persons  and  affairs  in  the  colonies 
were  under  his  control  ;  his  authority  was  absolute,  his 
decision  linal,  unless  appeal  was  made  to  tlie  Directory 
at  Irkutsk;  and  it  was  almost  impossible  for  an  appeal 
to  reach  Irkutsk. 

To-day  in  Kodiak,  as  in  Sitka,  the  old  and  the  new 
mingle.  Some  of  the  old  sod-houses  remain,  and  many 
that  were  built  of  logs;  but  the  majority  of  the  dwellings 
are  modern  frame  structures,  painted  white  and  present- 
ing a  neat  appearance,  in  striking  contrast  to  many  of 
the  settlements  of  Alaska  where  natives  reside. 

The  Greek-Russian  church  shines  white  and  attractive 
against  the  green  background  of  the  hill.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  white  fence  and  is  shaded  by  trees. 

I  called  at  the  priest's  residence  and  was  hospitably 
received  by  his  wife,  an  intelligent,  dark-eyed  native 
woman.  The  interior  of  the  church  is  interesting,  but 
lacks  the  charm  and  rich  furnishings  of  the  one  at  Sitka. 
There  is  a  chime  of  bells  in  the  steeple  ;  and  both  steeple 
and  dome  are  surmounted  by  the  peculiar  Greek-Russian 
cross  which  is  everywhere  seen  in  Alaska.  It  has  two 
short  transverse  bars,  crossing  the  vertical  shaft,  one  above 
and  one  below  the  main  transverse  bar,  the  lower  always 
slanting. 

The  natives  of  Kodiak  are  more  highly  civilized  than 
in  other  parts  of  Alaska.  The  offsj^ring  of  Russian 
fathers  and  native  mothers  have  frequently  married  into 
white  or  half-breed  families,  and  the  strain  of  dark  blood 
in  the  offspring  uf  these  later  marriages  is  difficult  to 
discern. 

I  travelled  on  the  Dora  with  a  woman  whose  father 
had  been  a  Russian  priest,  married  J^o  a  native  woman 
at  Belkoffski.  She  had  been  sent  to  California  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  returning,  a  graduate  of  a  normal 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  335 

school,  had  married  a  Russian.  She  had  a  comfortable, 
well-furnished  home,  and  her  husband  appeared  extremely 
fond  and  proud  of  her.  Her  children  were  as  white  as 
any  Russian  I  have  ever  seen. 

A  Russian  priest  must  marry  once  ;  but  if  his  wife 
dies,  he  cannot  marry  again. 

This  law  fills  my  soul  with  an  unholy  delight.  It 
persuades  a  man  to  appreciate  his  wife's  virtues  and  to 
condone  her  faults.  Whatever  may  be  her  sins  in  sight 
of  him  and  heaven,  she  is  the  only  one,  so  far  as  he  is 
concerned.  It  must  be  she,  or  nobody,  to  the  end  of  his 
days.  She  may  fill  his  soul  with  rage,  but  he  may  not 
even  relieve  his  feelings  by  killing  her. 

The  result  of  this  unique  religious  law  is  that  Russian 
priests  are  uncommonly  kind  and  indulgent  to  their  wives. 

"■  Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,"  said  one  who  was  on  the 
Dora,  in  answer  to  a  question,  "  I  have  a  wife.  She 
lives  in  Paris,  where  my  daughter  is  receiving  her  educa- 
tion,    lam  going  this  year  to  visit  them.     Yes,  yes,  yes." 

However,  with  all  the  petting  and  indulgence  which 
the  Russian  priest  lavishes  upon  his  wife,  if  what  I  heard 
be  true, —  that  he  is  permitted  neither  to  cut  nor  to 
wash  his  hair  and  beard,  —  God  wot  she  is  welcome  to 
him. 

The  old  graveyard  on  the  hill  above  Kodiak  tempts 
the  visitor,  and  one  may  loiter  among  the  old,  neglected 
graves  with  no  fear  of  snakes  in  the  tall,  thick  grasses. 

At  first,  a  woman  receives  the  statement  that  there  are 
no  snakes  in  Alaska  with  open  suspicion.  It  has  the 
sound  of  an  Alaskan  joke. 

When  I  first  heard  it,  I  was  unimpressed.  We  were 
nearing  a  fine  field  of  red-top,  already  waist-high,  and 
I  waited  for  the  gentleman  from  Boston,  who  believed 
everything  he  heard,  and  imagined  far  more,  to  go 
prancing  innocently  through  the  field. 


336  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

He  went  —  unhesitatingly,  joyously;  giving  praise  to 
God  for  his  blessings  —  as,  he  vowed,  he  loved  to  ramble 
through  deep  grass,  yet  would  rather  meet  a  hippopota- 
mus alone  in  a  mire  than  a  garter-snake  five  inches  long. 
The  field  was  the  snakiest-looking  place  imaginable,  and 
when  he  had  passed  safely  through,  I  began  to  have  faith 
in  the  Alaskan  snake  story. 

The  climate  of  Kadiak  Island  is  delightful.  The  island 
is  so  situated  that  it  is  fully  exposed  to  the  equalizing 
influences  of  the  Pacific.  The  mean  annual  temperature 
is  four  degrees  lower  than  at  Sitka,  and  there  is  twenty 
per  cent  less  rainfall. 

The  coast  of  Alaska  is  noted  for  its  rainfall  and  cloady 
weather.  Its  precipitation  is  to  be  compared  only  to  that 
of  the  coast  of  British  Columbia,  Washington,  and  Ore- 
gon ;  and  it  will  surprise  many  people  to  learn  that  it  is 
exceeded  in  the  latter  district. 

The  heaviest  annual  rainfall  occurs  at  Nutchek,  with  a 
decided  drop  to  Fort  Tongass  ;  then,  Orca,  Juneau,  Sitka, 
and  Fort  Liscum.  Fort  Wrangell,  Killisnoo,  and  Kodiak 
stand  next  ;  while  Tyonok,  Skaguay,  and  Kenai  record 
only  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  inches. 

Kadiak  Island  is  a  hundred  miles  long  by  about  forty 
in  width.  Its  relief  is  comparatively  low  —  from  three  to 
five  thousand  feet  —  and  it  has  many  broad,  open  valleys, 
gently  rounded  slopes,  and  wooded  dells. 

Lisiansky  was  told  that  the  Kadiak  group  of  islands 
was  once  separated  from  the  Aliaska  Peninsula  by  the 
tiniest  ribbon  of  water.  An  immense  otter,  in  attempt- 
ing to  swim  through  this  pass,  was  caught  fast  and  could 
not  extricate  itself.  Its  desperate  struggles  for  freedom 
widened  the  pass  into  the  broad  sweep  of  water  now 
known  as  the  Straits  of  Shelikoff,  and  pushed  the  islands 
out  to  their  present  position.  This  legend  strengthens 
the  general  belief  that  the  islands  were  once  a  part  of  the 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  337 

peninsula,  having  been  separated  therefrom  by  one  of  the 
mighty  upheavals,  with  its  attendant  depression,  which 
are  constantly  taking  place. 

A  native  myth  is  that  the  original  inhabitants  were 
descended  from  a  dog.  Another  legend  is  to  the  effect 
that  the  daughter  of  a  great  chief  north  of  the  peninsula 
married  a  dog  and  was  banished  with  her  dog-husband  and 
whelps.  The  dog  tried  to  swim  back,  but  was  drowned, 
his  pups  then  falling  upon  the  old  chief  and,  having  torn 
him  to  pieces,  reigning  in  his  stead. 

In  1791  Shelikoff  reported  the  population  of  Kadiak 
Island  to  be  fifty  thousand,  the  exaggeration  being  for 
the  purpose  of  enhancing  the  value  of  his  operations.  In 
1795  the  first  actual  census  of  Kadiak  showed  eighteen 
hundred  adult  native  males,  and  about  the  same  number 
of  females.     To-day  there  are  probably  not  five  hundred. 

I  have  visited  Kadiak  Island  in  June  and  in  July.  On 
both  occasions  the  weather  was  perfect.  Clouds  that 
were  like  broken  columns  of  pearl  pushed  languorously 
up  through  the  misty  gold  of  the  atmosphere ;  the  long 
slopes  of  the  hillside  were  vividly  green  in  the  higher 
lights,  but  sank  to  the  soft  dark  of  dells  and  hollows  ; 
here  and  there  shone  out  acres  of  brilliant  bloom. 

To  one  climbing  the  hill  behind  the  village,  island  be- 
yond island  drifted  into  view,  with  blue  water-ways  wind- 
ing through  velvety  labyrinths  of  green  ;  and,  beyond  all, 
the  strong,  limitless  sweep  of  the  ocean.  The  winds 
were  but  the  softest  zephyrs,  touching  the  face  and  hair 
like  rose  petals,  or  other  delicate,  visible  things ;  and,  the 
air  was  fragrant  with  things  that  grow  day  and  night  and 
that  fling  their  splendor  forth  in  one  riotous  rush  of 
bloom.  Shaken  through  and  through  their  perfume  was 
that  thrilling,  indescriljable  sweetness  which  abides  in 
vast  spaces  where  snow  mountains  glimmer  and  the  opal- 
ine palisades  of  glaciers  shine. 


338        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

It  is  a  view  to  quicken  the  blood,  and  to  inspire  an 
American  to  give  silent  thanks  to  God  that  this  rich  and 
peerlessly  beautiful  country  is  ours. 

After  the  transfer,  the  village  of  Kodiak  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  and  the 
Western  Fur  and  Trading  Company.  The  former  com- 
pany still  maintains  stores  and  warehouses  at  this  point. 
The  house  in  which  the  manager  resides  occupies  a  com- 
manding site  above  the  bay.  It  is  historic  and  commodi- 
ous, and  large  house-parties  are  entertained  with  lavish 
hospitality  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goss,  visitors  gathering  there 
from  adjacent  islands  and  settlements. 

There  are  dances,  "  when  the  boats  are  in,"  in  which 
the  civilized  native  girls  join  with  a  kind  of  repressed  joy 
that  reminds  one  of  New  England.  They  dress  well  and 
dance  gracefully.  Their  soft,  dark  glances  over  their 
partners'  shoulders  haunt  even  a  woman  dreamily.  A 
century's  silently  and  gently  borne  wrongs  smoulder  now 
and  then  in  the  deep  eyes  of  some  beautiful,  dark-skinned 

Kodiak  is  clean.  One  can  stand  on  the  hills  and 
breathe. 

For  several  years  after  the  transfer  a  garrison  of  United 
States  troops  was  stationed  there.  Bridges  were  built 
across  the  streams  tliat  flow  down  through  the  town,  and 
culverts  to  drain  the  marshes.  Many  of  these  improve- 
ments have  been  carelessly  destroyed  with  the  passing  of 
the  years,  but  their  early  influence  remains. 

So  charming  and  so  idyllic  did  this  island  seem  to  the 
Russians  that  it  was  with  extreme  reluctance  they  moved 
their  capital  to  Sitka  when  the  change  was  considered 
necessary. 

We  were  rowed  by  native  boys  across  the  satiny  chan- 
nel to  Wood  Island,  where  Reverend  C.  P.  Coe  conducts 
a  successful  Baptist  Orphanage  for  native  children.     Mr. 


ALASKA:     TUB    GREAT    COUNTRY  339 

Coe  was  not  at  home,  but  we  were  cordially  received  by 
Mrs.  Coe  and  three  or  four  assistants.  Wood  Island,  or 
Woody,  as  it  was  once  called,  is  as  lovely  as  Kadiak ;  the 
site  for  the  buildings  of  the  Orphanage  being  particularly 
attractive,  surrounded  as  it  is  by  groves  and  dells. 

There  was  a  pale  green,  springlike  freshness  folded 
over  the  gently  rolling  hills  and  hollows  that  was  as  en- 
trancing as  the  first  green  mist  that  floats  around  the 
leafing  alders  on  Puget  Sound  in  March. 

The  Orphanage  was  established  in  1893  by  the  Woman's 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  of  Boston,  and 
the  first  child  was  entered  in  that  year.  Mr.  Coe  assumed 
charge  of  the  Orphanage  in  1895,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  children  have  been  educated  and  cared  for  un- 
der his  administration.  They  have  come  from  the  east 
as  far  as  Kayak,  and  from  the  west  as  far  as  Unga.  At 
present  there  is  but  one  other  Baptist  Mission  lield  in 
Alaska  —  at  Copper  Centre. 

The  purpose  of  the  work  is  to  provide  a  Christian 
home  and  training  for  the  destitute  and  friendless ;  to 
collect  children,  that  they  may  receive  an  education  ;  and 
to  give  industrial  training  so  far  as  possible. 

There  were  forty-two  children  in  the  home  at  the  time 
of  our  visit,  and  there  was  a  full  complement  of  helpers 
in  the  work,  including  a  physician. 

The  regular  industrial  work  consists  of  all  kinds  of 
housework  for  the  girls.  Everything  that  a  woman  who 
keeps  house  should  know  is  taught  to  these  girls.  The 
boys  are  taught  to  plough  and  sow,  to  cultivate  and  har- 
vest the  crops,  to  raise  vegetables,  to  care  for  stock  and 
poultry.  Twenty-five  acres  are  under  cultivation,  and  the 
hardier  (Trains  and  vegetables  are  grown  with  fair  success. 

Potatoes  yield  two  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  to  the 
acre ;  and  barley,  fort}^  bushels.  Cattle  and  poultry 
thrive  and  are  of  exceeding  value,  fresh  milk  and  vege- 


340  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tables  being  better  than  medicines  for  the  welfare  of  the 
children.  Angora  goats  require  but  little  care  and  yield 
excellent  fleece  each  year. 

The  most  valuable  features  of  the  work  are  the  religious 
training ;  the  furnishing  of  a  comfortable  home,  warm 
clothing,  clean  and  wholesome  food  of  sufficient  quantity, 
to  children  who  have  been  rescued  from  vice  and  the 
most  repulsive  squalor ;  the  atmosphere  of  industry, 
cleanliness,  kindness,  and  love  ;  and  the  medical  care  fur- 
nished to  those  who  may  be  suffering  because  of  the  vices 
of  their  ancestors. 

This  excellent  work  is  supported  by  offerings  from  the 
Baptist  Sunday  Schools  of  New  England,  and  by  contribu- 
tions from  the  society  with  the  yard-long  name  by  which 
it  was  established. 

We  were  offered  most  delicious  ginger-cake  with  nuts 
in  it  and  big  goblets  of  half  milk  and  half  cream ;  and  we 
were  not  surprised  that  the  shy,  dark-skinned  children 
looked  so  happy  and  so  well  cared  for.  We  saw  their 
schoolrooms,  their  play  rooms,  and  their  bedrooms,  with 
the  little  clean  cots  ranged  along  the  walls. 

The  children  were  shy,  but  made  friends  with  us  read- 
ily ;  and  holding  our  hands,  led  the  way  to  the  dells 
where  the  violets  grew.  They  listened  to  stories  with 
large-eyed  interest,  and  were,  in  general,  bright,  well- 
mannered,  and  attractive  children. 

It  was  on  Wood  Island  that  the  famous  and  mysterious 
ice-houses  of  the  American-Russian  Ice  Company,  whose 
headquarters  were  in  San  Francisco,  were  located.  Their 
ruins  still  stand  on  the  shore,  as  well  as  the  deserted 
buildings  of  the  North  American  Commercial  Company, 
whose  headquarters  were  here  for  many  years  —  the  furs 
of  the  Copper  River  and  Kenai  regions  having  been 
brought  here  to  be  shipped  to  San  Francisco. 

The  operations  of  the  ice  company  were  shrouded  in 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  341 

mystery,  many  claiming  that  not  a  pound  of  ice  was  ever 
shipped  to  the  California  seaport  from  Wood  Island. 
Other  authorities,  however,  atfirm  that  at  one  time  large 
quantities  of  ice  were  shipped  to  the  southern  port,  and 
that  the  agent  of  the  company  lived  on  Wood  Island  in  a 
manner  as  autocratic  and  princely  as  that  of  Baranoff 
himself.  The  Avhole  island  was  his  park  and  game  pre- 
serve ;  and  one  of  the  first  roads  ever  built  in  Alaska  was 
constructed  here,  comprising  the  circuit  of  the  island,  a 
distance  of  about  thirteen  miles. 

There  is  a  Greek-Russian  church  and  mission  on  the 
island. 

Not  far  from  Wood  Island  is  Spruce. 

"  Here,"  says  Tikhmenef,  "  died  the  last  member  of  the 
first  clerical  mission,  the  monk  Herman.  During  his  life- 
time Father  Herman  built  near  his  dwelling  a  school  for 
the  daughters  of  the  natives,  and  also  cultivated  potatoes."' 

Bancroft  pokes  fun  at  this  obituary.  The  growing  of 
potatoes,  however,  at  that  time  in  Alaska  must  have  been 
of  far  greater  value  than  any  ordinary  missionary  work. 
Better  to  cultivate  potatoes  than  to  teach  a  lot  of  wretched 
beings  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  dabble  themselves 
with  holy  water  —  and  it  is  said  that  this  is  all  the  aver- 
age priest  taught  a  hundred  years  ago,  the  jDoor  natives 
not  being  able  to  understand  the  Russian  language. 

The  Kadiak  Archipelago  consists  of  Kadiak,  Afognak, 
Tugidak,  Sitkinak,  Marmot,  Wood,  Spruce,  Chirikoff 
(named  by  Vancouver  for  the  explorer  who  discovered  it 
upon  his  return  journey  to  Kamchatka),  and  several 
smaller  ones.  They  are  all  similar  in  appearance,  but 
smaller  and  less  fertile  than  Kadiak.  A  small  group 
northwest  of  Chirikoff  is  named  the  Semidi  Islands. 

There  is  a  persistent  legend  of  a  "  lost "  island  in  the 
Pacific,  to  the  southward  of  Kadiak. 


3-1:2       ALASKA:    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY 

When  the  Russian  missionaries  first  came  to  the  colo- 
nies in  America,  they  found  the  natives  living  "as  the 
seals  and  the  otters  lived."  They  were  absolutely  with- 
out moral  understanding,  and  simply  followed  their  own 
instincts  and  desires. 

These  missionaries  were  sent  out  in  1794,  by  command 
of  the  Empress  Catherine  the  Second;  and  by  the  time  of 
Sir  George  Simpson's  visit  in  1842,  their  influence  had 
begun  to  show  beneficial  results.  An  Aleutian  and  his 
daughter  who  had  committed  an  unnatural  crime  suddenly 
found  themelves,  because  of  the  drawing  of  new  moral 
lines,  ostracized  from  the  society  in  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  move  unchallenged.  They  stole  awa}^  by 
night  in  a  bidarka,  and  having  paddled  steadily  to  the 
southward  for  four  days  and  nights  they  sighted  an  island 
which  had  never  been  discovered  by  white  man  or  dark. 
They  landed  and  dwelt  upon  this  island  for  a  year. 

Upon  their  return  to  Kadiak  and  their  favorable  report 
of  their  lone,  beautiful,  and  sea-surrounded  retreat,  a 
vessel  was  despatched  in  search  of  it,  but  without  success. 

To  this  day  it  is  "  Lost "  Island.  Many  have  looked 
for  it,  but  in  vain.  It  is  the  sailor's  dream,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  be  rich  in  treasure.  Its  streams  are  yellow  with 
gold,  its  mountains  green  with  copper  glance;  ambergris 
floats  on  the  waters  surrounding  it ;  and  all  the  seals  and 
sea-otters  that  have  been  frightened  out  of  the  north  sun 
themselves,  unmolested,  upon  its  rocks  and  its  floating 
strands  of  kelp. 

One  day  it  will  rise  out  of  the  blue  Pacific  before  the 
wondering  eyes  of  some  fortunate  wanderer  —  even  as  the 
Northwest  Passage,  for  whose  sake  men  have  sailed  and 
suffered  and  failed  and  died  for  four  hundred  years,  at 
last  opened  an  icy  avenue  before  the  amazed  and  unbeliev- 
ing eyes  of  the  dauntless  Amundsen. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

Leaving  Kodiak,  the  steamer  soon  reaches  Afognak,  on 
the  island  of  the  same  name.  There  is  no  wharf  at  this 
settlement,  and  we  were  rowed  ashore. 

We  were  greatly  interested  in  this  place.  The  previous 
year  we  had  made  a  brief  voyage  to  Alaska.  On  our 
steamer  was  an  unmarried  lady  who  was  going  to  Afognak 
as  a  missionary.  She  was  to  be  the  only  white  woman  on 
the  island,  and  she  had  entertained  us  with  stories  which 
she  had  heard  of  a  very  dreadful  and  wicked  saloon- 
keeper who  had  lived  near  her  schoolhouse,  and  whose 
evil  influence  had  been  too  powerful  for  other  missionaries 
to  combat. 

"  But  he  can't  scare  me  off ! "  she  declared,  her  eyes 
shining  with  religious  ardor.  "I'll  conquer  him  before 
he  shall  conquer  me  !  " 

She  was  short  and  stout  and  looked  anything  but  brave, 
and  as  we  approached  the  scene  of  conflict,  we  felt  much 
curiosity  as  to  the  outcome. 

She  was  on  the  beach  when  we  landed,  stouter,  shorter, 
and  more  energetic  than  ever  in  her  movements.  She 
remembered  us  and  proudly  led  the  way  up  the  bank  to 
her  schoolhouse.  It  was  large,  clean,  and  attractive.  The 
missionary  lived  in  four  adjoining  rooms,  which  were  com- 
fortable and  homelike.  We  were  offered  fresh  bread  and 
delicious  milk. 

She  talked  rapidly  and  eagerly  upon  every  subject  save 
the  one  in  which  we  were  so  interested.  At  last,  I  could 
endure  the  suspense  no  longer. 

343 


344  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"  And  how,"  asked  I,  "  about  the  wicked  saloon-keeper  ?  " 

A  dull  flush  mounted  to  her  very  glasses.  For  a  full  min- 
ute there  was  silence.     Then  said  she,  slowly  and  stiffly  :  — 

"  How  about  what  wicked  saloon-keeper  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  one  you  told  us  about  last  year  ;  who  had  a 
poor  abused  wife  and  seven  children,  and  who  scared  the 
life  out  of  every  missionary  who  came  here." 

There  was  another  silence. 

"  Oil,"  said  she  then,  coldly.  "  Well,  he  was  rather 
hard  to  get  along  with  at  first,  but  his  —  er — hum  — 
wife  died  about  three  months  ago,  and  he  has  —  er  — 
hum "  (the  words  seemed  to  stick  in  her  throat) 
"  asked  me  —  he  —  asked  me,  you  know,  to  "  (she  giggled 
suddenly)  '-'•marry  him,  you  know." 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  will,  though,"  she  added,  hastily, 
turning  very  red,  as  we  stood  staring  at  her,  absolutely 
speechless. 

The  village  of  Afognak  is  located  at  the  southwestern 
end  of  Litnik  Bay.  It  is  divided  into  two  distinct  settle- 
ments, the  most  southerly  of  which  has  a  population  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  white  and  half-breed  people. 
A  high,  grassy  bluff,  named  Graveyard  Point,  separates 
this  part  of  the  village  from  that  to  the  northward,  which 
is  entirely  a  native  settlement  of  probably  fifty  persons. 

The  population  of  the  Island  of  Afognak  is  composed  of 
Kadiaks,  Eskimos,  Russian  half-breeds,  and  a  few  white 
hunters  and  fishermen.  The  social  conditions  are  similar 
to  those  existing  on  the  eastern  shores  of  Cook  Inlet. 

When  Alaska  was  under  the  control  of  the  Russian- 
American  Company,  many  men  grew  old  and  compara- 
tively useless  in  its  service.  These  employees  were  too 
helpless  to  be  thrown  upon  their  own  resources,  and  their 
condition  was  reported  to  the  Russian  government. 

In  1835  an  order  was  issued  directing:  that  such  Rus- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  345 

siaii  employees  as  had  married  native  women  should  be 
located  as  permanent  settlers  when  they  were  no  longer 
able  to  serve  the  compan}-.  The  company  was  compelled 
to  select  suitable  land,  build  comfortable  dwellings  for 
them,  supply  agricultural  implements,  seed,  cattle,  chickens, 
and  a  year's  provisions. 

These  settlers  were  exempt  from  taxation  and  military 
duty,  and  the  Russians  were  known  as  colonial  citizens,  the 
half-breeds  as  colonial  settlers.  The  eastern  shores  of 
Cook  Inlet,  Afognak  Island,  and  Spruce  Island  were 
selected  for  them.  The  half-breeds  now  occupying  these 
localities  are  largely  their  descendants.  They  have  always 
lived  on  a  higher  plane  of  civilization  than  the  natives, 
and  among  them  may  be  found  many  skilled  craftsmen. 

There  is  no  need  for  the  inhabitants  of  any  of  these  is- 
lands to  suffer,  for  here  are  all  natural  resources  for  native 
existence.  All  the  hardier  vegetables  thrive  and  may  be 
stored  for  winter  use;  hay  may  be  provided  for  cattle;  the 
waters  are  alive  with  salmon  and  cod;  bear,  fox,  mink,  and 
sea-otter  are  still  found. 

In  summer  the  men  may  easily  earn  two  hundred  dollars 
working  in  the  adjacent  canneries;  while  the  women, 
assisted  by  the  old  men  and  children,  dry  the  fish,  which 
is  then  known  as  ukala.  There  is  a  large  demand  in  the 
North  for  ukala,  for  dog  food.  There  are  two  large  stores 
in  Afognak,  representing  large  trading  companies,  where 
two  cents  a  pound  is  paid  for  all  the  ukala  that  can  be 
obtained. 

The  white  men  of  Afognak  are  nearly  all  Scandinavians, 
married  to,  or  living  with,  native  women.  The  school- 
teacher I  have  already  mentioned  was  the  only  white 
woman,  and  she  told  us  that  we  were  the  first  white 
women  who  had  landed  on  the  island  during  the  year  she 
had  spent  there.  Only  once  had  she  talked  with  white 
women,  and  that  was  during  a  visit  to  Kodiak. 


346        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    CO  UN  THY 

The  town  has  a  sheltered  and  attractive  site  on  a  level 
green.  There  is  a  large  Greek-Russian  church,  not  far 
from  the  noisy  saloon  which  is  presided  over  by  the 
saloon-keeper  who  was  once  bad,  but  who  has  now  yielded 
to  the  missionary's  spell. 

Karluk  River,  on  the  eastern  side  of  Kadiak  Island,  is 
the  greatest  salmon  stream  in  the  world.  It  is  sixteen  miles 
long,  less  than  six  feet  deep,  and  so  narrow  at  its  mouth 
that  a  child  could  toss  a  pebble  from  shore  to  shore.  It 
seems  absurd  to  enter  a  canoe  to  cross  this  stream,  so  like 
a  little  creek  is  it,  across  which  one  might  easily  leap. 

Yet  up  this  tiny  w\ater-way  millions  of  salmon  struggle 
every  season  to  the  spawning-grounds  in  Karluk  Lake. 
Before  the  coming  of  canners  with  traps  and  gill-nets  in 
188-4,  it  is  said  that  a  solid  mass  of  fish  might  be  seen 
filling  this  stream  from  bank  to  bank,  and  from  its  mouth 
to  the  lake  in  the  hills. 

In  1890  the  largest  cannery  in  the  world  was  located 
in  Karluk  Bay,  but  now  that  distinction  belongs  to  Bristol 
Bay,  north  of  the  Aliaska  Peninsula.  (Another  "largest 
in  the  world  "  is  on  Puget  Sound !) 

Karluk  Bay  is  very  small;  but  several  canneries  are  on 
its  shores,  and  when  they  are  all  in  operation,  the  em- 
ployees are  sufficient  in  number  to  make  one  of  the  largest 
towns  in  Alaska.  In  1890  three  millions  of  salmon  were 
packed  in  the  several  canneries  operating  in  the  bay  ;  in 
1900  more  than  two  millions  in  the  two  canneries  then 
operating  ;  but,  on  account  of  the  use  of  traps  and  gill- 
nets,  the  pack  has  greatly  decreased  since  then,  and  during 
some  seasons  has  proved  a  total  failure. 

Fifteen  years  ago  two-thirds  of  the  entire  Alaskan 
salmon  pack  were  furnished  by  the  ten  canneries  of  Kadiak 
Island,  and  these  secured  almost  their  entire  supply  from 
Karluk  River.     Furthermore,  at    that   time,  the  canners 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  347 

enjoyed  their  vast  monopoly  without  tax,  license,  or  any 
government  interference. 

Immense  fortunes  have  been  made  —  and  lost  —  in  the 
fish  industry  during  the  last  twenty  years. 

The  superintendents  of  these  canneries  alwaj^'s  live  luxu- 
riously, and  entertain  like  princes  —  or  Baranoff.  Their 
comfortable  houses  are  furnished  with  all  modern  luxuries, 
—  elegant  furniture,  pianos,  hot  and  cold  water,  electric 
baths.  Perfectly  trained,  noiseless  Chinamen  glide  around 
the  table,  where  dinners  of  ten  or  twelve  delicate  courses 
are  served,  with  a  different  wine  for  each  course. 

Champagne  is  a  part  of  the  hospitality  of  Alaska.  The 
cheapest  is  seven  dollars  and  a  half  a  bottle,  and  Alaskans 
seldom  buy  the  cheapest  of  anything. 

It  was  on  a  soft  gray  afternoon  that  the  Dora  entered 
Karluk  Bay  between  the  two  picturesque  promontories 
that  plunge  boldly  out  into  Shelikoff  Straits.  It 
seemed  as  though  all  the  sea-birds  of  the  world  must  be 
gathered  there.  Our  entrance  set  them  afloat  from  their 
perches  on  the  rocky  cliffs.  They  filled  the  air,  from 
shore  to  shore,  like  a  snow-storm.  Their  poetic  flight 
and  shrill,  mournful  plaining  haunt  every  memory  of 
Karluk  Bay. 

Now  and  then  they  settled  for  an  instant.  A  cliff 
would  shine  out  suddenly  —  a  clear,  tremulous  white;  then, 
as  suddenly,  there  would  be  nothing  but  a  sheer  height 
of  dark  stone  veined  with  green  before  our  bewildered 
gaze.  It  was  as  if  a  silvery,  winged  cloud  drifted  up  and 
down  the  face  of  the  clift's  and  then  floated  out  across 
the  bay. 

Several  old  sailing  vessels,  or  "  wind-jammers,"  lay  at 
anchor.  They  are  used  for  conveying  stores  and  employees 
from  San  Francisco.  The  many  buildings  of  the  can- 
neries give  Karluk  the  appearance  of  a  town  —  in  fact, 
during  the  summer,  it  is  a  town  ;  while  in   the    winter 


348  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

only  a  few  caretakers  of  the  buildings  and  property 
remain. 

Men  of  almost  every  nationality  under  the  sun  may 
be  found  here,  working  side  by  side. 

Ceaseless  complaints  are  made  of  the  lawless  conditions 
existing  "to  Westward."  Besides  the  thousands  of  men 
employed  in  the  canneries  of  the  Kadiak  and  the  Aleu- 
tian islands,  at  least  ten  thousand  men  work  in  the  can- 
neries of  Bristol  Bay.  Tliey  come  from  China,  Japan, 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  Norway,  Sweden,  Finland,  Porto 
Rico,  the  Philippines,  Guam,  and  almost  every  country 
that  may  be  named. 

"The  prevailing  color  of  Alaska  may  be  'rosy  laven- 
der,' "  said  a  gentleman  who  knows,  "  but  let  me  tell  you 
that  out  there  you  will  find  conditions  that  are  neither 
rosy  nor  lavender." 

There  is  a  United  States  Commissioner  and  a  Deputy 
United  States  Marshal  in  the  district,  but  they  are  unable 
to  control  these  men,  many  of  whom  are  desperate  charac- 
ters. The  superintendents  of  the  canneries  are  there  for 
the  purpose  of  putting  up  the  season's  pack  as  speedily  as 
possible;  and,  although  they  are  invariably  men  who  de- 
plore crime,  they  have  been  known  to  condone  it,  to  avoid 
the  taking  of  themselves  or  their  crews  hundreds  of  miles 
to  await  the  action  of  some  future  term  of  court. 

For  many  years  the  District  of  Alaska  has  been  di- 
vided for  judicial  purposes  into  three  divisions:  the  first 
comprising  the  southeastern  Alaska  district ;  the  second, 
Nome  and  the  Seward  Peninsula  ;  the  third,  the  vast  coun- 
try lying  between  these  two. 

In  each  is  organized  a  full  United  States  district  court. 
The  three  judges  who  preside  over  these  courts  receive 
the  salary  of  five  thousand  dollars  a  year,  —  which,  con- 
sidering the  high  character  of  the  services  required, 
and  the  cost  of  living  in  Alaska,  is  niggardly.     So  much 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  349 

power  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  these  judges  that  they 
are  freely  called  czars  by  the  people  of  Alaska. 

The  people  of  the  third  district  complained  bitterly 
that  their  court  facilities  were  entirely  inadequate. 
Several  murders  were  committed,  and  the  accused  awaited 
trial  for  many  months.  Witnesses  were  detained  from 
their  homes  and  lawful  pursuits.  Delays  were  so  vexatious 
that  many  crimes  remained  unpunished,  important  wit- 
nesses rebelling  against  being  held  in  custody  for  a  whole 
year  before  they  had  an  opportunity  to  testify  —  the 
judge  of  the  third  district  being  kept  busy  along  the 
Yukon  and  at  Fairbanks. 

As  a  partial  remedy  for  some  of  these  abuses  of  govern- 
ment. Governor  Brady,  in  his  report  for  the  year  1904, 
suggested  the  creation  of  a  fourth  judicial  district,  to  be 
furnished  with  a  sea-going  vessel,  which  should  be  under 
the  custody  of  the  marshal  and  at  the  command  of  the 
court.  It  was  recommended  that  this  vessel  be  equipped 
with  small  arms,  a  Gatling  gun,  and  ammunition.  All 
the  islands  which  lie  along  the  thousands  of  miles  of 
shore-line  of  Kenai  and  Aliaska  peninsulas.  Cook  Inlet, 
the  Kadiak,  Shumagin,  and  Aleutian  chains,  and  Bristol 
Bay  might  be  visited  in  season,  and  a  wholesome  respect 
for  law  and  order  be  enforced. 

The  burning  question  in  Alaska  has  been  for  many 
years  the  one  of  home  government.  As  early  as  1869  an 
impassioned  plea  was  made  in  Sitka  that  Alaska  should 
be  given  territorial  rights.  Yet  even  the  bill  for  one 
delegate  to  Congress  was  defeated  as  late  as  the  winter 
of  1905  —  whereupon  fiery  Valdez  instantly  sent  its  fa- 
mous message  of  secession. 

Governor  Brady  criticised  the  appointment  of  United 
States  commissioners  by  the  judges,  claiming  that  there 
is  really  no  appeal  from  a  commissioner's  court  to  a  dis- 
trict court,  for  the  reason  tliat  the  judge  usually  appoints 


350  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

some  particular  protege  and  feels  bound  to  sustain  his 
decisions.  The  governor  stated  plainly  in  liis  report  that 
the  most  remunerative  offices  are  filled  by  persons  who 
are  peculiarly  related,  socially  or  politically,  to  the  judges  ; 
that  the  attorneys  and  their  clients  understood  this  and 
considered  an  appeal  useless.  Governor  Brady  also  de- 
clared the  fee  system,  as  practised  in  these  commissioners' 
courts,  to  be  an  abomination.  Unless  there  is  trouble,  the 
officer  cannot  live  ;  and  the  inference  is  that  he,  there- 
fore, welcomes  trouble. 

Whatever  of  truth  there  may  have  been  in  these  pun- 
gent criticisms,  President  Roosevelt  endorsed  many  of  the 
governor's  recommendations  in  his  message  to  Congress ; 
and  several  have  been  adopted.  During  the  past  two 
years  Alaska  has  made  rapid  strides  toward  self-govern- 
ment, and  important  reforms  have  been  instituted. 

The  territory  now  has  a  delegate  to  Congress.  Upon 
the  subject  of  home  government  the  people  are  widely 
and  bitterly  divided.  Those  having  large  interests  in 
Alaska  are,  as  a  rule,  opposed  to  home  government,  claim- 
ing that  it  is  the  politicians  and  those  owning  nothing  upon 
which  taxes  could  be  levied,  who  are  agitating  the  subject. 
These  claim  that  the  few  who  have  ventured  heavily  to 
develop  Alaska  would  be  compelled  to  bear  the  entire 
burden  of  a  heavy  taxation,  for  the  benefit  of  the  profes- 
sional politician,  the  carpet-bagger,  and  the  impecunious 
loafer  who  is  "just  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up." 

On  the  other  hand,  those  favoring  territorial  govern- 
ment claim  that  it  is  opposed  only  by  the  large  corpora- 
tions which  "have  been  bleeding  Alaska  for  years." 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States  commissioners  in 
Alaska  is  far  greater  than  is  that  of  other  court  commis- 
sioners. They  can  sit  as  committing  magistrates ;  as  jus- 
tices of  the  peace,  can  try  civil  cases  where  the  amount 
involved  is  one  thousand  dollars  or  less;  can  try  crimi- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  351 

nal  cases  and  sentence  to  one  year's  imprisonment ;  they 
are  clothed  with  full  authority  as  probate  judges ;  they 
may  act  as  coroners,  notaries,  and  recorders  of  precincts. 

The  third  district,  presided  over  by  Judge  Reid,  whose 
residence  is  at  Fairbanks,  is  five  hundred  miles  wide  by 
nine  hundred  miles  long.  It  extends  from  the  North 
Pacific  Ocean  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  from  the  interna- 
tional boundary  on  the  east  to  the  Koyukuk.  The  chief 
means  of  transportation  within  this  district  are  steamers 
along  the  coast  and  on  the  Yukon,  and  over  trails  by  dog 
teams. 

It  is  small  wonder  that  a  man  hesitates  long  before 
suing  for  his  rights  in  Alaska.  The  expense  and  hardship 
of  even  reaching  the  nearest  seat  of  justice  are  unimagi- 
nable. One  man  travelled  nine  hundred  miles  to  reach 
Rampart  to  attend  court.  The  federal  court  issues  all 
licenses,  franchises,  and  charters,  and  collects  all  occupa- 
tion taxes.  Every  village  or  mining  settlement  of  two  or 
three  hundred  men  has  a  commissioner,  whose  sway  in 
his  small  sphere  is  as  absolute  as  that  of  Earanoff  was. 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

We  found  only  one  white  woman  at  Karluk,  the  wife  of 
the  manager  of  the  cannery,  a  retined  and  accomplished 
lady. 

Her  home  was  in  San  Francisco,  but  she  spent  the  sum- 
mer months  with  her  husband  at  Karluk. 

We  were  taken  ashore  in  a  boat  and  were  most  hospi- 
tably received  in  her  comfortable  home. 

About  two  o  'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  boarded  a  barge 
and  were  towed  by  a  very  small,  but  exceedingly  noisy, 
launch  up  the  Karluk  River  to  the  hatcheries,  which  are 
maintained  by  the  Alaska  Packers  Association. 

It  was  one  of  those  soft,  cloudy  afternoons  when  the 
coloring  is  all  in  pearl  and  violet  tones,  and  the  air  was 
sweet  with  rain  that  did  not  fall.  The  little  make-believe 
river  is  very  narrow,  and  so  shallow  that  we  were  con- 
stantly in  danger  of  running  aground.  We  tacked  from 
one  side  of  the  stream  to  the  other,  as  the  great  steamers 
do  on  the  Yukon. 

On  this  little  pearly  voyage,  a  man  who  accompanied 
us  told  a  story  which  clings  to  the  memory. 

"  Talk  about  your  big  world,"  said  he.  "  You  think  it 
'u'd  be  easy  to  hide  yourself  up  in  this  God-forgotten  jDlace, 
don't  you  ?  Just  let  me  tell  you  a  story.  A  man  come 
up  here  a  few  years  ago  and  went  to  work.  He  never 
did  much  talkin'.  If  you  ast  him  a  question  about  his- 
self  or  where  he  come  from,  he  shut  up  like  a  steel  trap 
with  a  rat  in  it.     He  was  a  nice-lookin'  man,  too,  an'  he 

352 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  353 

had  au  education  an'  kind  of  nice  clean  ways  with  him. 
He  built  a  little  cabin,  an'  he  didn't  go  'out'  in  winter, 
like  the  rest  of  us.  He  stayed  here  at  Karluk  an'  looked 
after  things. 

"  Well,  after  one-two  year  a  good-lookin'  young  woman 
come  up  here  —  an'  jiminy-cricket !  He  fell  in  love  with 
her  like  greased  lightniu'  an'  married  her  in  no  time.  I 
God,  but  that  man  was  happy.  He  acted  like  a  plumb 
fool  over  that  woman.  After  while  they  had  a  baby  — 
an'  then  he  acted  like  two  plumb  fools  in  one.  I  ain't 
got  any  wife  an'  babies  myself  an'  I  God !  it  ust  to 
make  me  feel  queer  in  my  throat. 

"  Well,  one  summer  the  superintendent's  wife  brought 
up  a  woman  to  keep  house  for  her.  She  was  a  white, 
sad-faced-lookin'  woman,  an'  when  she  had  a  little  time 
to  rest  she  ust  to  climb  up  on  the  hill  an'  set  there  alone, 
watchin'  the  sea-gulls.  I've  seen  her  set  there  two  hours 
of  a  Sunday  without  movin'.  Maybe  she'd  be  settin' 
there  now  if  I  hadn't  gone  and  put  my  foot  clean  in  it, 
as  usual. 

"  I  got  kind  of  sorry  for  her,  an'  you  may  shoot  me 
dead  for  a  fool,  but  one  day  I  ast  her  why  she  didn't  walk 
around  the  bay  an'  set  a  spell  with  the  other  woman. 

" '  I  don't  care  much  for  women,'  she  says,  never 
changin'  countenance,  but  just  starin'  out  across  the  bay. 

" '  She's  got  a  reel  nice,  kind  husband,'  says  I,  tryin'  to 
work  on  her  feelin's. 

"  '  I  don't  like  husbands,'  says  she,  as  short  as  lard  pie- 
crust. 

"  '  She's  got  an  awful  nice  little  baby,'  says  I,  for  if 
you  keep  on  long  enough,  you  can  always  get  a  woman. 

"  She  turns  then  an'  looks  at  me. 

" '  It's  a  girl,'  says  I,  '  an'  Lord,  the  way  it  nestles  up 
into  your  neck  an'  loves  you  ! ' 

"  Her  lips  opened  an'  shut,  but  she  didn't  say  a  word ; 


354  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

but  if  you'd  look  'way  down  into  a  well  an'  see  a  fire 
burnin'  in  the  water,  it  'u'd  look  like  her  eyes  did  then. 

" '  Its  father  acts  like  a  plumb  fool  over  it  an'  its 
mother,'  says  I.  '  The  sun  raises  over  there,  an'  sets  over 
here  —  but  he  thinks  it  raises  an'  sets  in  that  woman  an' 
baby.' 

" '  The  woman  must  be  pretty,'  says  she,  suddenly,  an' 
I  never  heard  a  woman  speak  so  bitter. 

"  '  She  is,'  says  I;   '  she's  got  —  ' 

"  '  Don't  tell  me  wliat  she's  got,'  snaps  she,  gettin'  up 
off  the  ground,  kind  o'  stiff-like.  '  I've  made  up  my 
mind  to  go  see  her,  an'  maybe  I'd  back  out  if  you  told  me 
what  she's  like.  Maybe  you'd  tell  me  she  had  red  wavy 
hair  an'  blue  eyes  an'  a  baby  mouth  an'  smiled  like  an 
angel  —  an'  then  devils  couldn't  drag  me  to  look  at  her.' 

"  Say,  I  nearly  fell  dead,  then,  for  that  just  described 
the  woman ;  but  I'm  no  loon,  so  I  just  kept  still. 

"  '  What's  their  name  ?  '  says  she,  as  we  walked  along. 

"  'Davis,'  says  I;  an'  mercy  to  heaven  !  I  didn't  know 
I  was  tellin'  a  lie. 

"  All  of  a  sudden  she  laughed  out  loud  —  the  awf ullest 
laugh.  It  sounded  as  harrable  mo'rnf  ul  as  a  sea-gull  just 
before  a  storm. 

"  '  Sushand  !  '  she  flings  out,  jeerin';  '  /  had  a  husband 
once.  I  worshipped  the  ground  he  trod  on.  I  thought 
the  sun  raised  an'  set  in  him.  He  carried  me  on  two 
chips  for  a  while,  but  I  didn't  have  any  children,  an'  I 
took  to  worryin'  over  it,  an'  lost  my  looks  an'  my  disposi- 
tion. It  goes  deep  with  some  women,  an'  it  went  deep 
with  me.  Men  don't  seem  to  understand  some  things. 
Instid  of  sympathizin'  with  me,  he  took  to  complainin' 
an'  findin'  fault  an'  finally  stayin'  away  from  home. 

" '  There's  no  use  talkin'  about  what  I  suffered  for  a 
year  •,  I  never  told  anybody  this  much  before  —  an'  it 
wa'n't  anything  to  what  I've  suffered  ever  since.     But 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  355 

one  day  I  stumbled  on  a  letter  he  had  wrote  to  a  woman 
he  called  Ruth.  He  talked  about  her  red  wavy  hair  an' 
blue  eyes  an'  baby  mouth  an'  the  way  she  smiled  like  an 
angel.  They  were  goin'  to  run  away  together.  He  told 
her  he'd  heard  of  a  place  at  the  end  of  the  earth  where  a 
man  could  make  a  lot  of  money,  an'  he'd  go  there  an'  get 
settled  an'  then  send  for  her,  if  she  was  willin'  to  live 
away  from  everybody,  just  for  him.  He  said  they'd 
never  see  a  human  soul  that  knew  them.' 

"  She  stopped  talkin'  all  at  once,  an'  we  walked  along. 
I  was  scared  plumb  to  death.  I  didn't  know  the  woman's 
name,  for  he  always  called  her  '  dearie,'  but  the  baby's 
name  was  Ruth. 

"'You've  got  to  feelin'  bad  now,'  says  I,  'an'  maybe 
we'd  best  not  go  on.' 

"'I'm  goin'  on,'  says  she. 

"  After  a  while  she  says,  in  a  different  voice,  kind  of 
hard,  '  I  put  that  letter  back  an'  never  said  a  word.  I 
wouldn't  turn  my  hand  over  to  keep  a  man.  I  never  saw 
the  woman;  but  I  know  how  she  looks.  I've  gone  over 
it  every  night  of  my  life  since.  I  know  the  shape  of 
every  feature.  I  never  let  on,  to  him  or  anybody  else. 
It's  the  only  thing  I've  thanked  God  for,  since  I  read  that 
letter  —  helpin'  me  to  keep  up  an'  never  let  on.  It's  the 
only  thing  I've  prayed  for  since  that  day.  It  wa'n't  very 
long  —  about  a  month.  He  just  up  an'  disappeared. 
People  talked  about  me  awful  because  I  didn't  cry,  an' 
take  on,  an'  hunt  him. 

" '  I  took  what  little  money  he  left  me  an'  went  away. 
I  got  the  notion  that  he'd  gone  to  South  America,  so  I 
set  out  to  get  as  far  in  the  other  direction  as  possible.  I 
got  to  San  Francisco,  an'  then  the  chance  fell  tome  to  come 
up  here.  It  sounded  like  the  North  Pole  to  me,  so  I  come. 
I'm  awful  glad  I  come.  Them  sea-gulls  is  the  only  pleasure 
I've  had  —  since  ;  an'  it's  been  four  year.     That's  all.' 


356        ALASKA:     THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY 

"  Well,  sir,  when  we  got  up  close  to  the  cabin,  I  got  to 
shiverin'  so's  I  couldn't  brace  up  an'  go  in  with  her.  It 
didn't  seem  possible  it  could  be  the  same  man,  but  then, 
such  darn  queer  things  do  happen  in  Alaska  !  Anyhow, 
I'd  got  cold  feet.  I  remembered  that  the  cannery  the 
man  worked  in  was  shut  down,  so's  he'd  likely  be  at 
home. 

"  '  I'll  go  back  now,'  I  mumbles,  '  an'  leave  you  women- 
folks to  get  acquainted.' 

"  I  fooled  along  slow,  an'  when  I'd  got  nearly  to  the 
settlement  I  heard  her  comin'.  I  turned  an'  waited  — 
an'  I  God  !  she  won't  be  any  ash-whiter  when  she's  in 
her  coffin.  She  was  steppin'  in  all  directions,  like  a  blind 
woman ;  her  arms  hung  down  stiff  at  her  sides ;  her 
fingers  were  locked  around  her  thumbs  as  if  they'd  never 
loose  ;  an'  some  nights,  even  now,  I  can't  sleep  for  thinkin' 
how  her  eyes  looked.  I  guess  if  you'd  gag  a  dog,  so's  he 
couldn't  cry,  an'  then  cut  him  up  slow,  inch  by  inch,  his 
eyes  'u'd  look  like  her'n  did  then.  At  sight  of  me  her 
face  worked,  an'  I  thought  she  was  goin'  to  cry  ;  but  all 
at  once  she  burst  out  into  the  awfullest  laughin'  you  ever 
heard  outside  of  a  lunatic  asylum. 

"  '  Lord  God  Almighty  !  '  she  cries  out  — '  where's  his 
mercy  at,  the  Bible  talks  about  ?  You'd  think  he  might 
have  a  little  mercy  on  an  ugly  woman  who  never  had  any 
children,  wouldn't  you  —  esj^ecially  when  there's  women 
in  the  world  with  wavy  red  hair  an'  blue  eyes  —  women 
that  smile  like  angels  an'  have  little  baby  girls  !  Oh, 
Lord,  what  a  joke  on  me  ! ' 

"  Well,  she  went  on  laughin'  till  my  blood  turned  cold, 
but  she  never  told  me  one  word  of  what  happened  to  her. 
She  went  back  to  California  on  the  first  boat  that  went, 
but  it  was  two  weeks.  I  saw  her  several  times ;  an'  at 
sight  of  me  she'd  burst  out  into  that  same  laughin'  an' 
cry  out,  '  My  Lord,  what  a  joke  !     Did  you  ever  see  its 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  357 

beat  for  a  joke  ? '  but  she  wouldn't  answer  a  thing  I  ast 
her.  The  last  time  I  ever  see  her,  she  was  leanin'  over 
the  ship's  side.  She  looked  like  a  dead  woman,  but  when 
she  see  me  she  waved  her  hand  and  burst  out  laughin'. 

"  '  Do  you  hear  them  sea-gulls  ? '  she  cries  out.  'All 
they  can  scream  is  Kar-luk  !  Kar-lnk  !  jKar-luk  !  You 
can  hear'm  say  it  just  as  plain,  ^ar-luk  !  I'll  hear 'em 
when  I  lay  in  my  grave  !     Oh,  my  Lord,  what  a  joke  !  '  " 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 

Our  progress  up  Karliik  River  in  the  barge  was  so 
leisurely  that  we  seemed  to  be  "  drifting  upward  with  the 
flood  "  between  the  low  green  shores  that  sloped,  covered 
with  flowers,  to  the  water.  The  clouds  were  a  soft  gray, 
edged  with  violet,  and  the  air  was  very  sweet. 

The  hatchery  is  picturesquely  situated, 

A  tiny  rivulet,  called  Shasta  Creek,  comes  tumbling 
noisily  down  from  the  hills,  and  its  waters  are  utilized  in 
the  various  "ponds." 

The  first  and  highest  pond  they  enter  is  called  the 
"  settling  "  pond,  which  receives,  also,  in  one  corner,  the 
clear,  bubbling  waters  of  a  spring,  whose  upflow,  never 
ceasing,  prevents  this  corner  of  the  pond  from  freezing. 
This  pond  is  deeper  than  the  others,  and  receives  the 
waters  of  the  creek  so  lightly  that  the  sediment  is  not 
disturbed  in  the  bottom,  its  function  being  to  permit  the 
sediment  carried  down  from  the  creek  to  settle  before  the 
waters  pass  on  into  the  wooden  flume,  which  carries  part 
of  the  overflow  into  the  hatching-house,  or  on  into  the 
lower  ponds,  wliich  are  used  for  "ripening"  the  salmon. 

There  are  about  a  dozen  of  these  ponds,  and  they  are 
terraced  down  the  hill  with  a  fall  of  from  four  to  six  feet 
between  them. 

They  are  rectangular  in  shape  and  walled  with  large 
stones  and  cement.  The  walls  are  overgrown  with 
grasses  and  mosses;  and  the  waters  pouring  musically 
down  over  them  from  large  wooden  troughs  suspended 

358 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  359 

horizontally  above  them,  and  whose  bottoms  are  pierced 
by  numerous  augur-holes,  produce  the  effect  of  a  series 
of  gentle  and  lovely  waterfalls. 

It  is  essential  that  the  fall  of  the  water  should  be  as 
light  and  as  soft  as  possible,  that  the  fish  may  not  be  dis- 
turbed and  excited  —  ripening  more  quickly  and  perfectly 
when  kept  quiet. 

These  ponds  were  filled  with  salmon.  Many  of  them 
moved  slowly  and  placidly  through  the  clear  waters  ; 
others  struggled  and  fought  to  leap  their  barriers  in  a 
seemingly  passionate  and  supreme  desire  '  to  reach  the 
highest  spawning-ground.  There  is  to  me  something 
divine  in  the  desperate  struggle  of  a  salmon  to  reach  the 
natural  place  for  the  propagation  of  its  kind  —  the  shal- 
low, running  upper  waters  of  the  stream  it  chooses  to 
ascend.  It  cannot  be  will-power  —  it  can  be  only  a  God- 
given  instinct  —  that  enables  it  to  leap  cascades  eight 
feet  in  height  to  accomplish  its  uncontrollable  desire. 
Notwithstanding  all  commercial  reasoning  and  all  human 
needs,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  inhumanly  cruel  to  corral  so 
many  millions  of  salmon  every  year,  to  confine  them  dur- 
ing the  ripening  period,  and  to  spawn  them  by  hand. 

In  the  natural  method  of  spawning,  the  female  salmon 
seeks  the  upper  waters  of  the  stream,  and  works  out  a 
trough  in  the  gravelly  bed  by  vigorous  movements  of  her 
body  as  she  lies  on  one  side.  In  this  trough  her  eggs  are 
deposited  and  are  then  fertilized  by  the  male. 

The  eggs  are  then  covered  with  gravel  to  a  depth  of 
several  feet,  such  gravel  heaps  being  known  as  ^  redds." 

To  one  who  has  studied  the  marvellously  beautiful 
instincts  of  this  most  human  of  fishes,  their  desperate 
struggles  in  the  ripening  ponds  are  pathetic  in  the  ex- 
treme ;  and  I  was  glad  to  observe  that  even  the  gentle- 
men of  our  party  frequently  turned  away  with  faces  full 
of  the  pity  of  it. 


360  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

A  salmon  will  struggle  until  it  is  but  a  purple,  shape- 
less mass  ;  it  will  fling  itself  upon  the  rocks ;  the  over- 
pouring  waters  will  bear  it  back  for  many  yards ;  then  it 
will  gradually  recover  itself  and  come  plunging  and  fight- 
ing back  to  fling  itself  once  more  upon  tlie  same  rocks. 
Each  time  that  it  is  washed  away  it  is  weaker,  more 
bruised  and  discolored.  Battered,  bleeding,  with  fins 
broken  off  and  eyes  beaten  out,  it  still  returns  again  and 
again,  leaping  and  flinging  itself  frenziedly  upon  the  stone 
walls. 

Its  very  rush  through  the  water  is  pathetic,  as  one  re- 
members it ;  it  is  accompanied  by  a  loud  swish  and  the 
waters  fly  out  in  foam ;  but  its  movements  are  so  swift 
that  only  a  line  of  silver  —  or,  alas  !  frequently  one  of 
purple — is  visible  through  the  beaded  foam. 

Some  discoloration  takes  place  naturally  when  the  fish 
has  been  in  fresh  water  for  some  time ;  but  much  of  it  is 
due  to  bruising.  A  salmon  newly  arrived  from  the  sea 
is  called  a  "  clean "  salmon,  because  of  its  bright  and 
sparkling  appearance  and  excellent  condition. 

There  is  a  tramway  two  or  three  hundred  yards  in 
length,  along  which  one  may  walk  and  view  the  various 
ponds.  It  is  used  chiefly  to  convey  stock-fish  from  the 
corrals  to  the  upper  ripening-ponds. 

When  ripe  fish  are  to  be  taken  from  a  pond,  the  water 
is  lowered  to  a  depth  of  about  a  foot  and  a  half  ;  a  kind 
of  slatting  is  then  put  into  the  water  at  one  end  and  slid- 
den  gently  under  the  fish,  which  are  examined  —  the 
"  ripe  "  ones  being  placed  in  a  floating  car  and  the  "  green  " 
ones  freed  in  the  pond.  A  stripping  platform  attends  every 
pond,  and  upon  this  the  spawning  takes  place. 

The  young  fish,  from  one  to  two  years  old,  before  it  has 
gone  to  sea,  is  called  by  a  dozen  different  names,  chief  of 
which  are  parr  and  salmon-fry.  At  the  end  of  ten  weeks 
after  hatching,  the    fr}-  are    fed    tinned  salmon    flesh, — 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  361 

"do-overs"  furnished  by  tlie  canneries,  —  whicli  is  thor- 
oughly desiccated  and  put  through  a  sausage-machine. 

When  the  fry  are  three  or  four  months  old,  they  are 
"planted."  After  being  freed  they  work  their  way 
gradually  down  to  salt-water,  which  pushes  up  into  the 
lagoon,  and  finally  out  into  the  bay.  They  return  fre- 
quently to  fresh  water  and  for  at  least  a  year  work  in 
and  out  with  the  tides. 

The  majority  of  fry  cling  to  the  fresh-water  vicinity  for 
two  years  after  hatching,  at  which  time  they  are  about 
eight  inches  long.  Tlie  second  spring  after  hatching  they 
sprout  out  suddenly  in  bright  and  glistening  scales,  which 
conceal  the  dark  markings  along  their  sides  which  are 
known  as  parr-marks.  They  are  then  called  "  smolt,"  and 
are  as  adult  salmon  in  all  respects  save  size. 

In  all  rivers  smolts  pass  down  to  the  sea  between 
March  and  June,  weighing  only  a  few  ounces.  The  same 
fall  they  return  as  "  grilse,"  weighing  from  three  to  five 
pounds. 

After  their  first  spawning,  they  return  during  the  win- 
ter to  the  sea  ;  and  in  the  following  year  reascend  the  river 
as  adult  salmon.  Males  mature  sexually  earlier  than  females. 

The  time  of  year  when  salmon  ascend  from  the  sea 
varies  greatly  in  different  rivers,  and  salmon  rivers  are 
denominated  as  "early  "  or  "  late." 

The  hatchery  at  Karluk  is  a  model  one,  and  is  highly 
commended  by  government  experts.  It  was  established 
in  the  spring  of  1896,  and  stripping  was  done  in  August 
of  the  same  year.  The  cost  of  the  present  plant  has 
been  about  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  its  annual  expen- 
diture for  maintenance,  labor,  and  improvements,  from 
ten  to  twenty  thousand.  There  is  a  superintendent  and  a 
permanent  force  of  six  or  eight  men,  including  a  cook, 
with  additional  help  from  the  canneries  when  it  is  re- 
quired. 


362  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

There  are  many  buildings  connected  with  the  hatchery, 
and  all  are  kept  in  perfect  order.  The  first  season,  it  is 
estimated  that  two  millions  of  salmon -fry  were  liberated, 
with  a  gradual  increase  until  the  present  time,  when 
forty  millions  are  turned  out  in  a  single  season. 

The  superintendent  was  taken  completely  by  surprise  by 
our  visit,  but  received  us  very  hospitably  and  conducted 
us  through  all  departments  with  courteous  explanations. 
The  shining,  white  cleanliness  and  order  everywhere 
manifest  would  make  a  German  housewife  green  of  envy. 

At  this  point  Karluk  River  widens  into  a  lagoon,  in 
which  the  corrals  are  wired  and  netted  off  somewhat 
after  the  fashion  of  lish-traps,  covering  an  area  of  about 
three  acres. 

Fish  for  the  hatcheries  are  called  "stock-fish."     They 

are  secured  by  seiners  in  the  lagoon  opposite  the  hatcheries, 

and  are  then  transferred  to  the  corrals.     As  soon  as  a  sal- 

,  mon  has  the  appearance  of  ripening,  it  is  removed  by  the 

use  of  seines  to  the  ripening-ponds. 

In  the  hatching-house  are  more  than  sixty  troughs,  four- 
teen feet  in  length,  sixteen  inches  in  width,  and  seven 
inches  in  depth.  The  wood  of  which  they  are  composed 
is  surfaced  redwood.  The  joints  are  coated  with  asphal- 
tum  tar,  with  cotton  wadding  used  as  calking  material. 
When  the  trough  is  completed,  it  is  given  one  coat  of 
refined  tar  and  two  of  asphaltum  varnish. 

In  the  Karluk  hatchery  the  troughs  never  leak,  owing 
to  this  superior  construction  ;  and  it  is  said  that  the  im- 
portance of  this  advantage  cannot  be  overestimated. 

Leaks  make  it  impossible  for  the  employees  to  estimate 
the  amount  of  water  in  the  troughs ;  repairs  startle  the 
young  fry  and  damage  the  eggs ;  and  the  damp  floors 
cause  illness  among  the  employees.  The  Karluk  hatchery 
is  noted  for  its  dryness  and  cleanliness. 

The  setting  of  the  hatchery  is  charming.     The  hills. 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  363 

treeless,  pale  green,  and  velvety,  slope  gently  to  the  river 
and  the  lagoon.  Now  and  then  a  slight  ravine  is  filled 
with  a  shrubby  growth  of  a  lighter  green.  Flowers  flame 
everywhere,  and  tiny  rivulets  come  singing  down  to  the 
larger  stream. 

The  greenness  of  the  hills  continues  around  the  bay, 
broken  off  abruptly  on  Karluk  Head,  where  the  soft, 
veined  gray  of  the  stone  cliff  blends  with  the  green. 

The  bay  opens  out  into  the  wide,  bold,  purple  sweep 
of  Shelikoff  Strait. 

Every  body  of  water  has  its  character  —  some  feature 
that  is  peculiarly  its  own,  which  impresses  itself  upon  the 
beholder.  The  chief  characteristic  of  Shelikoff  Strait  is 
its  boldness.  There  is  something  dauntless,  daring,  and 
impassioned  in  its  wide  and  splendid  sweep  to  the  chaste 
line  of  snow  peaks  of  the  Aleutian  Range  on  the  Aliaska 
Peninsula.     It  seems  to  hold  a  challenge. 

I  should  like  to  live  alone,  or  almost  alone,  high  on 
storm-swept  Karluk  Head,  fronting  that  magnificent 
scene  that  can  never  be  twice  quite  the  same.  "What 
work  one  might  do  there  —  away  from  little  irritating 
cares !  No  neighbors  to  "  drop  in  "  with  bits  of  deli- 
cious gossip  ;  no  theatres  in  which  to  waste  the  splendid 
nights  ;  no  bridge-luncheons  to  tempt,  —  nothing  but 
sunlight  glittering  down  on  the  pale  green  hills ;  the 
golden  atmosphere  above  the  little  bay  filled  with  tremu- 
lous, winged  snow  ;  and  miles  and  miles  and  miles  of 
purple  sea. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV 

"  What  kind  of  place  is  Uyak  ?  "  I  asked  a  deck-hand 
who  was  a  native  of  Sweden,  as  we  stood  out  in  the  bow 
of  the  Bora  one  day. 

He  turned  and  looked  at  me  and  grinned. 

"  It  ees  a  hal  of  a  blace,''  he  replied,  promptly  and 
frankly.     "  It  ees  3'Oost  dat  t'ing.     You  vill  see." 

And  I  did  see.  I  should,  in  fact,  like  to  take  this  frank- 
spoken  gentleman  along  with  me  wherever  I  go,  solely  to 
answer  people  who  ask  me  what  kind  of  place  Uyak  is  — 
his  opinion  so  perfectly  coincides  with  my  own. 

There  were  canneries  at  Uyak,  and  mosquitoes,  and 
things  to  be  smelled  ;  but  if  there  be  anything  there 
worth  seeing,  they  must  first  kill  the  mosquitoes,  else  it 
will  never  be  seen. 

The  air  was  black  with  these  pests,  and  the  instant  we 
stepped  upon  the  wharf  we  were  black  with  them,  too. 
Every  passenger  resembled  a  windmill  in  action,  as  he 
raced  down  the  wharf  toward  the  cannery,  hoping  to  find 
relief  there  ;  and  as  he  went  his  nostrils  were  assailed  by 
an  odor  that  is  surpassed  in  only  one  place  on  earth  — 
Belkoffski!  —  and  it  comes  later. 

The  hope  of  relief  in  the  canneries  proved  to  be  a  vain 
one.  The  unfortunate  Chinamen  and  natives  were  covered 
with  mosquitoes  as  they  worked  ;  their  faces  and  arms 
were  swollen  ;  their  eyes  were  fierce  with  suffering.  They 
did  not  laugh  at  our  frantic  attempts  to  rid  ourselves  of 
the  winged  pests  —  as  we  laughed  at  one  another.  There 
was  nothing  funny  in  the  situation  to  those  poor  wretches. 

364 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  365 

It  was  a  tragedy.  They  stared  at  us  with  desperate  eyes 
which  asked:  — 

"  Why  don't  you  go  away  if  you  are  suffering  ?  You 
are  free  to  leave.  What  have  you  to  complain  of  ?  We 
must  stay." 

We  went  out  and  tried  to  walk  a  little  way  along  the 
hill  ;  but  the  mosquitoes  mounted  in  clouds  from  the 
wild-rose  thickets.  At  the  end  of  fifteen  minutes  we  fled 
back  to  the  steamer  and  locked  ourselves  in  our  state- 
rooms. There  we  sat  down  and  nursed  our  grievances 
with  camphor  and  alcohol. 

We  sailed  up  Uyak  Bay  to  the  mine  of  the  Kodiak  Gold 
Mining  Company.  This  is  a  free  milling  mine  and  had 
been  a  developing  property  for  four  years.  It  was  then 
installing  a  ten-stamp  mill,  and  had  twenty  thousand 
tons  of  ore  blocked  out,  the  ore  averaging  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  dollars  a  ton. 

This  mine  is  located  on  the  northern  side  of  Kadiak 
Island,  and  has  good  water  power  and  excellent  shipping 
facilities.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  were  taken  out  of  the 
beaches  in  the  vicinity  in  1904  by  placer  mining. 

Here,  in  this  lovely,  lonely  bay,  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing women  I  ever  met  spends  her  summers.  She  is  the 
wife  of  one  of  the  owners  of  the  mine,  and  her  home  is  in 
San  Francisco.  She  finds  the  summers  ideal,  and  longs 
for  the  novelty  of  a  winter  at  the  mine.  She  has  a  canoe 
and  spends  most  of  her  time  on  the  water.  There  are  no 
mosquitoes  at  the  mine  ;  the  summers  are  never  uncom- 
fortably hot,  and  it  is  seldom,  indeed,  that  the  mercury 
falls  to  zero  in  the  winter. 

From  Kadiak  Island  we  crossed  Shelikoff  Straits  to 
Cold  Bay,  on  the  Aliaska  Peninsula,  which  we  reached  at 
midnight,  and  which  is  tlie  only  port  that  could  not 
tempt  us  ashore.  When  our  dear,  dark-eyed  Japanese, 
"Charlie,"  played  a  gentle  air  upon  our  cabin  door  with 


366  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

his  fingers  and  murmured  apologetically,  "  Cold  Bay," 
we  heard  the  rain  pouring  down  our  windows  in  sheets, 
and  we  ungratefully  replied,  "  Go  away,  Charlie,  and 
leave  us  alone." 

No  rope-ladders  and  dory  landings  for  us  on  such  a 
night,  at  a  place  with  such  a  name. 

The  following  day  was  clear,  however,  and  we  sailed 
all  day  along  the  peninsula.  To  the  south  of  us  lay  the 
Tugidak,  Trinity,  Chirikoff,  and  Semidi  islands. 

At  six  in  the  evening  we  landed  at  Chignik,  another 
uninteresting  cannery  place.  From  Chignik  on  "  to  West- 
ward "  the  resemblance  of  the  natives  to  the  Japanese  be- 
came more  remarkable.  As  they  stood  side  by  side  on 
the  wharves,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  distinguish  one 
from  the  other.  The  slight  figures,  brown  skin,  softly 
bright,  dark  eyes,  narrowing  at  the  corners,  and  amiable 
expression  made  the  resemblance  almost  startling. 

At  Chignik  we  had  an  amusing  illustration,  however, 
of  the  ease  with  which  even  a  white  man  may  grow  to 
resemble  a  native. 

The  mail  agent  on  the  Dora  was  a  great  admirer  of  his 
knowledge  of  natives  and  native  customs  and  language. 
Cham-mi  is  a  favorite  salutation  with  them.  Approach- 
ing a  man  who  was  sitting  on  a  barrel,  and  who  certainly 
resembled  a  native  in  color  and  dress,  the  agent  pleasantly 
exclaimed,  "CAam-mz." 

There  was  no  response ;  the  man  did  not  lift  his  head  ; 
a  slouch  hat  partially  concealed  his  face. 

'"■Cham-mi!  "  repeated  the  agent,  advancing  a  step  nearer. 

There  was  still  no  response,  no  movement  of  recognition. 

The  mail  agent  grew  red. 

"  He  must  be  deaf  as  a  post,"  said  he.  He  slapped  the 
man  on  the  shoulder  and,  stooping,  fairly  shouted  in  his 
ear,  "  Cham-mi,  old  man  ! " 

Then  the  man  lifted  his  head  and  brought  to  view  the 
unmistakable  features  of  a  Norwegian. 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  367 

"T'hal  with  you,"  said  he,  briefly.  "I'm  no  tainn 
Eskimo." 

The  mail  agent  looked  as  though  the  wharf  had  gone 
out  from  under  his  feet  ;  and  never  again  did  we  hear 
him  give  the  native  salutation  to  any  one.  The  Norwe- 
gian had  been  living  for  a  year  among  the  natives  ;  and 
by  the  twinkle  in  his  eye  as  he  again  lowered  his  head  it 
was  apparent  that  he  appreciated  the  joke. 

At  the  entrance  to  Chignik  Bay  stands  Castle  Cape,  or 
Tuliiuranit  Point.  From  the  southeastern  side  it  really 
resembles  a  castle,  with  turrets,  towers,  and  domes.  It  is 
an  immense,  stony  pile  jutting  boldly  out  into  the  sea, 
whose  sparkling  blue  waves,  pearled  with  foam,  break 
loudly  upon  its  base.  In  color  it  is  soft  gray,  richly  and 
evenly  streaked  with  rose.  Sea  birds  circled,  screaming, 
over  it  and  around  it.  Castle  Cape  might  be  the  twin 
sister  of  "  Calico  Bluff  "  on  the  Yukon. 

Popoff  and  Unga  are  the  principal  islands  of  the 
Shumagin  group,  on  one  of  which  Behring  landed  and 
buried  a  sailor  named  Shumagin.  They  are  the  centre  of 
famous  cod-fishing  grounds  which  extend  westward  and 
northward  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  eastward  to  Cook  Inlet, 
and  southeastward  to  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca. 

There  are  several  settlements  on  the  Island  of  Unga  — 
Coal  Harbor,  Sandy  Point,  Apollo,  and  Unga.  The  latter 
is  a  pretty  village  situated  on  a  curving  agate  beach.  It 
is  of  some  importance  as  a  trading  post. 

Finding  no  one  to  admit  us  to  the  Russo-Greek  church, 
we  admitted  ourselves  easily  with  our  state-room  key ; 
but  the  tawdry  cheapness  of  the  interior  scarcely  repaid 
us  for  the  visit.  The  graveyard  surrounding  the  church 
was  more  interesting. 

There  is  no  wharf  at  Unga,  but  there  is  one  at  Apollo, 
about  three  miles  fartlier  up  the  bay.  We  were  taken  up 
to  Apollo  in  a  sail-boat,  and  it  proved  to  be  an  exciting 


3G8  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

sail.  It  is  not  sailing  unless  the  rail  is  awash;  but  it 
seemed  as  though  the  entire  boat  were  awash  that  June 
afternoon  in  the  Bay  of  Unga.  Scarcely  had  we  left  the 
ship  when  we  -were  struck  by  a  succession  of  squalls  which 
lasted  until  our  boat  reeled,  hissing,  up  to  the  wharf  at 
Apollo, 

Water  poured  over  us  in  sheets,  drenching  us.  We 
could  not  stay  on  the  seats,  as  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
stood  up  in  the  air  almost  perpendicularly.  We  there- 
fore stood  up  with  it,  our  feet  on  the  lower  rail  with  the 
sea  flowing  over  them,  and  our  shoulders  pressed  against 
the  gunwale.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  broad  shoulders  of 
two  Englishmen,  our  boat  would  surely  have  gone  over. 

It  all  came  upon  us  so  suddenly  that  we  had  no  time  to  be 
frightened,  and,  with  all  the  danger,  it  was  glorious.  No 
whale  —  no  "right  "  whale,  even  —  could  be  prouder  than 
we  were  of  the  wild  splashing  and  spouting  that  attended 
our  tipsy  race  up  Unga  Bay. 

The  wharf  floated  dizzily  above  us,  and  we  were  com- 
pelled to  climb  a  high  perpendicular  ladder  to  reach  it. 
No  woman  who  minds  climbing  should  go  to  Alaska.  She 
is  called  upon  at  a  moment's  notice  to  climb  everything, 
from  roiDC-ladders  and  perpendicular  ladders  to  volcanoes. 
A  mile's  walk  up  a  tramway  brought  us  to  the  Apollo. 

This  is  a  well-known  mine,  which  has  been  what  is  called 
a  "paying  proposition"  for  many  years.  At  the  time  of 
our  visit  it  was  worked  out  in  its  main  lode,  and  the 
owners  had  been  seeking  desperately  for  a  new  one.  It 
was  discovered  the  following  year,  and  the  Apollo  is  once 
more  a  rich  producer. 

In  a  large  and  commodious  house  two  of  the  owners  of 
the  mine  lived,  their  wives  being  with  them  for  the  summer. 
They  were  gay  and  charming  women,  fond  of  society,  and 
pining  for  the  fleshpots  of  San  Francisco.  The  white 
women  living  between  Kodiak  and  Dutcli  Harbor  are  so 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  369 

few  that  they  may  be  counted  on  one  hand,  and  the 
luxurious  furnishings  of  their  homes  in  these  out-of-the- 
way  places  are  almost  startling  in  their  unexpectedness. 
We  spent  the  afternoon  at  the  mine,  and  the  ladies  re- 
turned to  the  Dora  with  us  for  dinner.  The  squalls  had 
taken  themselves  off,  and  we  had  a  prosaic  return  in  the 
mine's  launch. 

"  What  do  we  do  ?  "  said  one  of  the  ladies,  in  reply  to 
my  question.  "Oh,  we  read,  walk,  write  lettei's,  go  out  on 
the  water,  play  cards,  sew,  and  do  so  much  fancy  work  that 
when  we  get  back  to  San  Francisco  we  have  nothing  to  do 
but  enjoy  ourselves  and  brag  about  the  good  time  we  have 
in  Alaska.     We  are  all  packed  now  to  go  camping  —  " 

'''■Camping/'"  I  repeated,  too  astonished  to  be  polite. 

"  Yes,  camping,"  replied  she,  coloring,  and  speaking 
somewhat  coldly.  "  We  go  in  the  launch  to  the  most 
beautiful  beach  about  ten  miles  from  Unga.  We  stay  a 
month.  It  is  a  sheltered  beach  of  white  sand.  The  waves 
lap  on  it  all  day  long,  blue,  sparkling,  and  warm,  and  we 
almost  live  in  them.  The  hills  above  the  beach  are 
simply  covered  with  the  big  blueberries  that  grow  only 
in  Alaska.  They  are  somewhat  like  the  black  mountain 
huckleberry,  only  more  delicious.  We  can  them,  pre- 
serve them,  and  dry  them,  and  take  them  back  to  San 
Francisco  with  us.  They  are  the  best  things  I  ever  ate 
—  with  thick  cream  on  them.  I  had  some  in  the  house  ; 
I  wish  I  had  thought  to  offer  you  some." 

She  wished  she  had  thought  to  offer  me  some  ! 

On  the  Dora  we  were  rapidly  getting  down  to  bacon  and 
fish,  —  being  about  two  thousand  miles  from  Seattle,  with 
no  ice  aboard  in  this  land  of  ice,  —  and  I  am  not  enthusiastic 
about  either. 

And  she  wished  that  she  had  thought  to  offer  me  some 
Alaskan  blueberries  that  are  more  delicious  than  moun- 
tain huckleberries,  and  thick  cream  ! 


CHAPTER    XXXV 

I  HAVE  heard  of  steamers  that  have  been  built  and 
sent  out  by  missionary  or  church  societies  to  do  good  in 
far  and  lonely  places. 

The  little  Dora  is  not  one  of  these,  nor  is  religion  her 
cargo;  her  hold  is  filled  with  other  things.  Yet  blessings 
be  on  her  for  the  good  she  does !  Her  mission  is  to  carry 
mail,  food,  freight,  and  good  cheer  to  the  people  of  these 
green  islands  that  go  drifting  out  to  Siberia,  one  by  one. 
She  is  the  one  link  that  connects  them  with  the  great  world 
outside;  through  her  they  obtain  their  sole  touch  of  society, 
of  which  their  appreciation  is  pitiful. 

Our  captain  was  a  big,  violet-eyed  Norwegian,  about 
forty  years  old.  He  showed  a  kindness,  a  courtesy,  and  a 
patience  to  those  lonely  people  that  endeared  him  to  us. 

He  knew  them  all  by  name  and  greeted  them  cordially 
as  they  stood,  smiling  and  eager,  on  the  wharves.  All 
kinds  of  commissions  had  been  intrusted  to  him  on  his 
last  monthly  trip.  To  one  he  brought  a  hat ;  to  another 
a  phonograph ;  to  another  a  box  of  fruit;  dogs,  cats,  chairs, 
flowers,  books  —  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  that  he  had 
not  personally  selected  for  the  people  at  the  various  ports. 
Even  a  little  seven-year-old  half-breed  girl  had  travelled  in 
his  care  from  Valdez  to  join  her  father  on  one  of  the 
islands. 

Wherever  there  was  a  woman,  native  or  half-breed,  he 
took  us  ashore  to  make  her  acquaintance. 

"  Come  along  now,"  he  would  say,  in  a  tone  of  command, 

370 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  371 

"  and  be  nice.  They  don't  get  a  chance  to  talk  to  many 
women.  Haven't  you  got  some  little  womanly  thing 
along  with  you  that  you  can  give  them  ?  It'll  make  them 
happy  for  months." 

We  were  eager  enough  to  talk  to  them,  heaven  knows, 
and  to  give  them  what  we  could  ;  but  the  "  little  womanly 
things  "  that  we  could  spare  on  a  two  months'  voyage  in 
Alaska  were  distressingly  few.  When  we  had  nothing 
more  that  we  could  give,  the  stern  disapproval  in  the  cap- 
tain's eyes  went  to  our  hearts.  Box  after  box  of  bonbons, 
figs,  salted  almonds,  preserved  ginger,  oranges,  apples, 
ribbons,  belts,  pretty  bags  —  one  after  one  they  went, 
until,  like  Olive  Schreiner's  woman,  I  felt  that  I  had  given 
up  everything  save  the  one  green  leaf  in  my  bosom ;  and 
that  the  time  would  come  when  the  captain  would  com- 
mand me  to  give  that  up,  too. 

There  seems  to  be  something  in  those  great  lonely 
spaces  that  moves  the  people  to  kindness,  to  patience  and 
consideration  —  to  tenderness,  even.  I  never  before  came 
close  to  such  humanness.  It  shone  out  of  people  in  whom 
one  would  least  expect  to  find  it. 

Several  times  while  we  were  at  dinner  the  chief  stew- 
ard, a  gay  and  handsome  youth  not  more  than  twenty- 
one  years  old,  rushed  through  the  dining  room,  crying:  — 

"  Give  me  your  old  magazines  —  quick  !  There's  a 
whaler's  boat  alongside." 

A  stampede  to  our  cabins  would  follow,  and  a  hasty 
upgathering  of  such  literature  as  we  could  lay  our  hands 
upon. 

The  whaling  and  cod-fishing  schooners  cruise  these 
waters  for  months  without  a  word  from  the  outside  until 
they  come  close  enough  to  a  steamer  to  send  out  a  boat. 
The  crew  of  the  steamer,  discovering  the  approach 
of  this  boat,  gather  up  everything  they  can  throw  into 
it   as   it   flashes   for   a   moment   alongside.       Frequently 


372  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

the  occupants  of  the  boat  tlirow  fresh  cod  aboard,  and 
then  there  are  smiling  faces  at  dinner.  It  is  my  opinion, 
however,  that  any  one  who  woukl  smile  at  cod  would  smile 
at  anything. 

The  most  marvellous  voyage  ever  made  in  the  beautiful 
and  not  always  peaceful  Pacific  Ocean  was  the  one  upon 
which  the  Dora  started  at  an  instant's  notice,  and  by  no 
will  of  her  master's,  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1906. 
Blown  from  the  coast  down  into  the  Pacific  in  a  freezing 
storm,  she  became  disabled  and  drifted  helplessly  for  more 
than  two  months. 

During  that  time  the  weather  was  the  worst  ever  known 
by  seafaring  men  on  the  coast.  Tlie  steamship  Santa 
Ana  and  the  United  States  steamship  Hush  were  sent  in 
search  of  the  Dora^  and  when  both  had  returned  without 
tidings,  hope  for  her  safety  was  abandoned. 

Eiglity-one  days  from  the  time  she  had  sailed  from 
Valdez,  she  crawled  into  the  harbor  of  Seattle,  two  thou- 
sand miles  off  her  course.  She  carried  a  crew  of  seven 
men  and  three  or  four  passengers,  one  of  whom  was  a 
young  Aleutian  lad  of  Unalaska.  As  the  Dora  was  on  her 
outward  trip  when  blown  to  sea,  she  was  well  stocked 
with  provisions  which  she  was  carrying  to  the  islanders  ; 
but  there  was  no  fuel  and  but  a  scant  supply  of  water  aboard. 

The  physical  and  mental  sufferings  of  all  were  ferocious; 
and  it  was  but  a  feeble  cheer  that  arose  from  the  little  ship- 
wrecked band  when  the  Dora  at  last  crept  up  beside  the 
Seattle  pier.  For  two  months  they  had  expected  each 
day  to  be  their  last,  and  their  joy  was  now  too  deep  for 
expression. 

The  welcome  they  received  when  they  returned  to  their 
regular  run  among  the  Aleutian  Islands  is  still  described 
by  the  settlers. 

The  Dora  reached  Kodiak  late  on  a  boisterous  night; 
but  her  whistle  was  heard,  and  the  whole  town  was  on  the 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  373 

wharf  when  she  docked,  to  welcome  the  crew  and  to  con- 
gratulate them  on  their  safety.  Some  greeted  their  old 
friends  hilariously,  and  others  simply  pressed  their  hands 
in  emotion  too  deep  for  expression. 

So  completely  are  the  people  of  the  smaller  places  on 
the  route  cut  off  from  the  world,  save  for  the  monthly 
visits  of  the  Dora,  that  they  had  not  heard  of  her  safety. 
When,  after  supposiug  her  to  be  lost  for  two  months, 
they  beheld  her  steaming  into  their  harbors,  the  super- 
stitious believed  her  to  be  a  spectre-ship. 

The  greatest  demonstration  was  at  Unalaska.  A 
schooner  had  brought  the  news  of  her  safety  to  Dutch 
Harbor ;  from  there  a  messenger  was  despatched  to  Un- 
alaska, two  miles  away,  to  carry  the  glad  tidings  to  the 
father  of  the  little  lad  aboard  the  Dora. 

The  news  flashed  wildly  through  the  town.  People  in 
bed,  or  sitting  by  their  firesides,  were  startled  by  the  fling- 
ing open  of  their  door  and  the  shouting  of  a  voice  from 
the  darkness  outside  :  — 

"  The  Dora's  safe!  "  — but  before  they  could  reach  the 
door,  messenger  and  voice  would  be  gone  —  fleeing  on 
through  the  town. 

At  last  he  reached  the  Jessie  Lee  Missionary  Home, 
at  the  end  of  the  street,  where  a  prayer-meeting  was 
in  progress.  Undaunted,  he  fluug  wide  the  door,  burst 
into  the  room,  shouting,  "The  Dora's  safe!"  — and  was 
gone.  Instantly  the  meeting  broke  up,  people  sprang  to 
their  feet,  and  prayer  gave  place  to  a  glad  thanksgiving 
service. 

When  the  Dora  finally  reached  Unalaska  once  more,  the 
whole  town  was  in  holiday  garb.  Flags  were  flying,  and 
every  one  that  could  walk  was  on  the  wharf.  Children, 
native  and  white,  carried  flags  which  they  joyfully  waved. 
Their  welcome  was  enthusiastic  and  sincere,  and  the  men 
on  the  boat  were  deeply  affected. 


374  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRV 

The  Dora  is  not  a  fine  steamship,  but  she  is  stanch, 
seaworthy,  and  comfortable ;  and  the  islanders  are  as  at- 
tached to  her  as  though  she  were  a  thing  of  flesh  and  blood. 

No  steamer  could  have  a  twelve-hundred-mile  route 
more  fascinating  than  the  one  from  Valdez  to  Unalaska. 
It  is  intensely  lovely.  Behind  the  gray  cliffs  of  the 
peninsula  float  the  snow-peaks  of  the  Aleutian  Range. 
Here  and  there  a  volcano  winds  its  own  dark,  fleecy  tur- 
ban round  its  crest,  or  flings  out  a  scarlet  scarf  of  flame. 
There  are  glaciers  sweeping  everything  before  them ;  bold 
headlands  plunging  out  into  the  sea,  where  they  pause 
with  a  sheer  drop  of  thousands  of  feet;  and  flowery  vales 
and  dells.  There  are  countless  islands — some  of  them 
mere  bits  of  green  floating  upon  the  blue. 

At  times  a  kind  of  divine  blueness  seems  to  swim  over 
everything.  Wherever  one  turns,  the  eye  is  rested  and 
charmed  with  blue.  Sea,  shore,  islands,  atmosphere,  and 
sky  —  all  are  blue.  A  mist  of  it  rests  upon  the  snow 
mountains  and  goes  drifting  down  the  straits.  It  is  a  warm, 
delicate,  luscious  blue.  It  is  like  the  blue  of  frost-touched 
grapes  when  the  prisoned  wine  shines  through. 

Sand  Point,  a  trading  post  on  Unga  Island,  is  a  wild 
and  picturesque  place.  It  impressed  me  chiefly,  however, 
by  the  enormous  size  of  its  crabs  and  starfishes,  which  I 
saw  in  great  numbers  under  the  wharf.  Rocks,  timbers, 
and  boards  were  incrusted  with  rosy-purple  starfishes, 
some  measuring  three  feet  from  the  tip  of  one  ray  to  the 
tip  of  the  ray  nearly  opposite.  Smaller  ones  were  wedged 
in  between  the  rays  of  the  larger  ones,  so  that  frequently 
a  piling  from  the  wharf  to  the  sandy  bottom  of  the  bay, 
which  we  could  plainly  see,  would  seem  to  be  solid 
starfish. 

As  for  the  crabs  —  they  were  so  large  that  they  were 
positively  startling.     They  were  three  and  four  feet  from 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT   COUNTRY  375 

tip  to  tip ;  yet  their  movements,  as  they  floated  in  the 
clear  green  water,  were  exceedingly  graceful. 

Sand  Point  has  a  wild,  weird,  and  lonely  look.  It  is  just 
the  place  for  the  desperate  murder  that  was  committed  in 
the  house  that  stands  alone  across  the  bay,  —  a  dull  and 
neglected  house  with  open  windows  and  banging  doors. 

"  Does  no  one  live  there  ?  "  I  asked  the  storekeeper's  wife. 

"  Live  there  !  "  she  repeated  with  a  quick  shudder. 
"  No  one  could  be  hired  at  any  price  to  live  there." 

The  murdered  man  had  purchased  a  young  Aleutian  girl, 
twelve  years  old,  for  ten  dollars  and  some  tobacco.  When 
she  grew  older,  he  lived  with  her  and  called  her  his  wife. 
He  abused  her  shamefully.  A  Russian  half-breed  named 
Gerassenoff  —  the  name  fits  the  story  —  fell  in  love  with 
the  girl,  loved  her  to  desperation,  and  tried  to  persuade 
her  to  run  away  with  him. 

She  dared  not,  for  fear  of  the  brutal  white  wretch  who 
owned  her,  body  and  soul.  Gerassenoff,  seeing  the  cru- 
elties and  abuse  to  which  she  was  daily  subjected,  brooded 
upon  his  troubles  until  he  became  partially  insane.  He 
entered  the  house  when  the  man  was  asleep  and  murdered 
him  —  foully,  horribly,  cold-bloodedly. 

Gerassenoff  is  now  serving  a  life-sentence  in  the  govern- 
ment penitentiary  on  McNeil's  Island;  the  man  he  mur- 
dered lies  in  an  unmarked  grave  ;  the  girl  —  for  the  story 
has  its  touch  of  awful  humor  !  —  the  girl  married  another 
man  within  a  twelvemonth. 

There  is  a  persistent  invitation  at  Sand  Point  to  the  swim- 
mer. The  temptation  to  sink  down,  down,  through  those 
translucent  depths,  and  then  to  rise  and  float  lazily  with 
the  jelly-fishes,  is  almost  irresistible.  There  is  a  seductive, 
languorous  charm  in  the  slow  curve  of  the  waves,  as  though 
they  reached  soft  arms  and  wet  lips  to  caress.  There  are 
more  beautiful  waters  along  the  Alaskan  coast,  but  none  in 
whichthe  very  spirit  of  the  swimmer  seems  so  surely  to  dwell. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

Belkoffski  !  There  was  something  in  the  name  that 
attracted  my  attention  the  first  time  I  heard  it  ;  and  my 
interest  increased  with  each  mile  that  brought  it  nearer. 
It  is  situated  on  the  green  and  sloping  shores  of  Pavloff 
Bay,  which  rise  gradually  to  hills  of  considerable  height. 
Behind  it  smokes  the  active  volcano,  Mount  Pavloff,  with 
whose  ashes  the  hills  are  in  places  gray,  and  whose  fires 
frequently  light  the  night  with  scarlet  beauty. 

The  Dora  anchored  more  than  a  mile  from  shore,  and 
when  the  boat  was  lowered  we  joyfully  made  ready  to  de- 
scend. We  were  surprised  that  no  one  would  go  ashore 
with  us.  Important  duties  claimed  the  attention  of  officers 
and  passengers  ;  yet  they  seemed  interested  in  our  prepa- 
rations. 

"  Won't  you  come  ashore  with  us  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  they  all  replied,  as  one. 

"  Have  you  ever  been  ashore  here  ?  " 

"*0h,  yes,  thank  you." 

"  Isn't  it  interesting,  then  ?  " 

"Oh,  very  interesting,  indeed." 

"  There  is  something  in  their  manner  that  I  do  not  like," 
I  whispered  to  my  companion.  "  What  do  you  suppose  is 
the  matter  with  Belkoffski." 

"  Smallpox,  perhaps,"  she  whispered  back. 

"  I  don't  care;  I'm  going." 

"  So  am  I." 

"  What  kind  of  place  is  Belkoffski  ?  "  I  asked  one  of  the 
sailors  who  rowed  us  ashore. 

376 


ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  377 

He  grinned  until  it  seemed  that  he  would  never  again 
be  able  to  get  his  mouth  shut. 

"Jou  vill  see  vot  kind  oof  a  blace  it  ees,"  he  replied 
luminously. 

"  Is  it  not  a  nice  place,  then  ?  " 

"  Jou  vill  see." 

We  did  see. 

The  tide  was  so  low  and  the  shore  so  rocky  that  we 
could  not  get  within  a  hundred  yards  of  any  land.  A 
sailor  named  "  Nelse  "  volunteered  to  carry  us  on  his  back  ; 
and  as  nothing  better  presented  itself  for  our  considera- 
tion, we  promptly  and  joyfully  went  pick-a-back. 

This  was  my  most  painful  experience  in  Alaska.  My 
father  used  to  make  stirrups  of  his  hands ;  but  as  Nelse 
did  not  offer,  diffidence  kept  me  from  requesting  this 
added  gallantry  of  him.  It  was  well  that  I  went  first ; 
for  after  viewing  my  friend's  progress  shoreward,  had  I 
not  already  been  upon  the  beach,  I  should  never  have 
landed  at  Belkoffski. 

For  many  years  Belkoffski  was  the  centre  of  the  sea- 
otter  trade.  This  small  animal,  which  has  the  m^ost  valu- 
able fur  in  the  world,  was  found  only  along  the  rock  shores 
of  th6  Aliaska  Peninsula  and  the  Aleutian  Islands.  The 
Shumagins  and  Sannak  islands  were  the  richest  grounds. 
Sea-otter,  furnishing  the  court  fur  of  both  Russia  and 
China,  were  in  such  demand  that  they  have  been  almost 
entirely  exterminated  —  as  the  fur-bearing  seal  will  soon 
be. 

The  fur  of  the  sea-otter  is  extremely  beautiful.  It  is 
thick  and  velvety,  its  rich  brown  under-fur  being  remark- 
able. The  general  color  is  a  frosted,  or  silvery,  purplish 
brown. 

The  sea-otter  frequented  the  stormiest  and  most  danger- 
ous shores,  where  they  were  found  lying  on  the  rocks,  or 
sometimes  floating,    asleep,    upon  fronds  of  an  immense 


378  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

kelp  which  was  called  "  sea-otter's  cabbage."  The  hunters 
would  patiently  lie  in  hiding  for  days,  awaiting  a  favor- 
able opportunity  to  surround  their  game. 

They  were  killed  at  first  by  ivory  spears,  which  were 
deftly  cast  by  natives.  In  later  years  they  were  captured 
in  nets,  clubbed  brutally,  or  shot.  They  were  excessively 
shy,  and  the  difficulty  and  danger  of  securing  them  in- 
creased as  their  slaughter  became  more  pitiless.  Only 
natives  were  allowed  to  kill  otter  until  1878,  when  white 
men  married  to  native  women  were  permitted  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury  to  consider  themselves,  and  to  be 
considered,  natives,  so  far  as  hunting  privileges  were  con- 
cerned. 

The  rarest  and  most  valuable  of  otter  are  the  deep-sea 
otter,  which  never  go  ashore,  as  do  the  "  rock -bobbers," 
unless  driven  there  by  unusual  storms.  "  Silver-tips  "  — 
deep-sea  otter  having  a  silvery  tinge  on  the  tips  of  the 
fur  —  bring  the  most  fabulous  prices. 

The  hunting  of  these  scarce  and  precious  animals  calls 
for  greater  bravery,  hardship,  perilous  hazard,  and  actual 
suffering  than  does  the  chase  of  any  other  fur-bearing 
animal.  Pitiful,  shameful,  and  loathsome  though  the 
slaughter  of  seals  be,  it  is  not  attended  by  the  exposure 
and  the  hourly  peril  which  the  otter  hunter  unflinchingly 
faces. 

Sea-otter  swim  and  sleep  upon  their  backs,  with  their 
paws  held  over  their  eyes,  like  sleepy  puppies,  their  bodies 
barely  visible  and  their  hind  flippers  sticking  up  out  of 
the  water. 

The  young  are  born  sometimes  at  sea,  but  usually  on 
kelp-beds  ;  and  the  mother  swims,  sleeps,  and  even  suckles 
her  young  stretched  at  full  length  in  the  water  upon  her 
back.  She  carries  her  offspring  upon  her  breast,  held  in 
her  forearms,  and  has  many  humanly  maternal  ways  with 
it,  —  fondling    it,  tossing  it  into    the    air    and    catching 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  379 

it,  and  even  lulling  it  to  sleep  with  a  kind  of  purring 
lullaby. 

Both  the  male  and  female  are  fond  of  their  young,  caring 
for  it  with  every  appearance  of  tenderness.  In  making  dif- 
ficult landings,  the  male  "  hauls  out "  first  and  catches 
the  young,  wdiich  the  mother  tosses  to  him.  Sometimes, 
when  a  baby  is  left  alone  for  a  few  minutes,  it  is  attacked 
by  some  water  enemy  and  killed  or  turned  over,  when  it 
invariably  drowns.  The  mother,  returning  and  finding  it 
floating,  dead,  takes  it  in  her  arms  and  makes  every  at- 
tempt possible  to  bring  it  to  life.  Failing,  she  utters  a 
wild  cry  of  almost  human  grief  and  slides  down  into 
the  sea,  leaving  it. 

The  otter  hunters  used  to  go  out  to  sea  in  their  bi- 
darkas,  with  bows,  arrows,  and  harpoons  ;  several  would  go 
together,  keeping  two  or  three  hundred  yards  apart  and 
proceeding  noiselessly.  When  one  discovered  an  otter, 
he  would  hold  his  paddle  straight  up  in  the  air,  uttering 
a  loud  shout.  Then  all  would  paddle  cautiously  about, 
keeping  a  close  watch  for  the  otter,  which  cannot  remain 
under  water  longer  than  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  When 
it  came  up,  the  native  nearest  its  breathing  place  yelled 
and  held  up  his  paddle,  startling  it  under  the  water  again 
so  suddenly  that  it  could  not  draw  a  fair  breath.  In 
this  manner  they  forced  the  poor  thing  to  dive  again 
and  again,  until  it  was  exhausted  and  floated  helplessly 
upon  the  water,  when  it  was  easily  killed,  .  Frequently 
two  or  three  hours  were  required  to  tire  an  otter. 

This  picturesque  method  of  hunting  has  given  place  to 
shooting  and  clubbing  the  otter  to  death  as  he  lies  asleep 
on  the  rocks.  As  they  come  ashore  during  the  fiercest 
weather,  the  hunter  must  brave  the  most  violent  storms 
and  perilous  surfs  to  reach  the  otter's  retreat  in  his  frail, 
but  beautiful,  bidarka.  With  his  gut  kamelinka  —  thin 
and   yellow   as    the    "gold-beater's    leaf"  —  tied   tightly 


380  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

around  his  face,  wrists,  and  the  "man-hole"  in  which  he 
sits  or  kneels,  his  bidarka  may  turn  over  and  over  in  the 
sea  without  drowning  him  or  shipping  a  drop  of  water  — 
on  his  lucky  days.  But  the  unlucky  day  comes ;  an 
accident  occurs ;  and  a  dark-eyed  woman  watches  and 
waits  on  the  green  slopes  of  Belkoffski  for  the  bidarka 
that  does  not  come. 

There  were  only  women  and  children  in  the  village  of 
Belkoffski  that  June  day.  The  men  —  with  the  exception 
of  two  or  three  old  ones,  who  are  always  left,  probably  as 
male  chaperons,  at  the  village  —  were  away,  hunting. 

The  beach  was  alive,  and  very  noisy,  with  little  brown 
lads,  half-bare,  bright-eyed,  and  with  faces  that  revealed 
much  intelligence,  kindness,  and  humor. 

They  clung  to  us,  begging  for  pennies,  which,  to  our 
very  real  regret,  we  had  not  thought  to  take  with  us. 
Candy  did  not  go  far,  and  dimes,  even  if  we  had  been 
provided  with  them,  would  have  too  rapidly  run  into 
dollars. 

Long-stemmed  violets  and  dozens  of  other  varieties  of 
wild  flowers  covered  the  slopes.  One  little  creek  flowed 
down  to  the  sea  between  banks  that  were  of  the  solid  blue 
of  violets. 

But  the  village  itself  !  With  one  of  the  prettiest  natural 
locations  in  Alaska  ;  with  singing  rills  and  flowery  slopes 
and  a  volcano  burning  splendidly  behind  it ;  with  little 
clean-looking  brown  lads  playing  upon  its  Sands,  a  Greek- 
Russian  church  in  its  centre,  and  a  resident  priest  who 
ought  to  know  that  cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness  —  with 
all  these  blessings,  if  blessings  they  all  be,  Belkoffski  is 
surely  the  most  unclean  place  on  this  fair  earth. 

The  filth,  ignorance,  and  apparent  degradation  of  these 
villagers  were  revolting  in  the  extreme.  Nauseous  odors 
assailed  us.  They  came  out  of  the  doors  and  windows ; 
they  swam  out  of  barns  and  emj^ty  sheds  ;  they  oozed  up 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  381 

out  of  the  earth ;  they  seemed,  even,  to  sink  upon  us  out 
of  the  blue  sky.  The  sweetness  and  the  freshness  of 
green  grass  and  blowing  flowers,  of  dews  and  mists, 
of  mountain  and  sea  scented  winds,  are  not  sufficient  to 
cleanse  Belkoffski  —  the  Caliban  among  towns. 

An  educated  half-breed  Aleutian  woman,  married  to  a 
white  man,  accompanied  us  ashore.  She  was  on  her  way 
to  Unalaska,  and  had  been  eager  to  land  at  Belkoffski, 
where  she  was  born. 

Her  father  had  been  a  priest  of  the  Greek-Russian 
church  and  her  mother  a  native  woman.  She  had  told 
us  much  of  the  kind-heartedness  and  generosity  of  the 
villagers.  Her  heart  was  full  of  love  and  gratitude  to 
them  for  their  tenderness  to  her  when  her  father,  of 
blessed  memory,  had  died. 

"  I  have  never  had  such  friends  since,"  she  said.  "  They 
would  do  an3'thing  on  earth  for  those  in  trouble,  and  give 
their  own  daily  food,  if  necessary.  I  have  never  seen 
anything  like  it  since.  Education  doesn't  put  tJiat  into 
our  hearts.  Such  sympathy,  such  tenderness,  such  un- 
derstanding of  grief  and  trouble  !  —  and  the  kind  of  help 
that  kelps  most." 

If  this  be  the  real  nature  of  these  people,  only  the  right 
influence  is  needed  to  lift  them  from  their  degradation. 
The  larger  children  —  the  brown-limbed,  joyous  children 
down  on  the  beach  —  looked  clean,  probably  from  spend- 
ing much  time  in  the  healing  sea. 

The  people  of  the  islands  do  not  travel  much,  and  our 
fellow-voyager  had  not  been  to  Belkoffski  since  she  was 
a  little  girl.  For  many  years  she  had  been  living  among 
white  people,  with  all  the  comforts  and  cleanliness  of  a 
white  woman.  I  watched  her  narrowly  as  we  went  from 
house  to  house,  looking  for  baskets. 

We  had  told  her  we  desired  baskets,  and  she  had  offered 
to  find  some  for  us.     After  we  saw  the  houses  and  the 


382  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

women,  we  would  have  touched  a  leper  as  readily  as  we 
would  have  touched  one  of  the  baskets  that  were  brought 
out  for  our  inspection ;  but  politeness  kept  us  from  ad- 
mitting to  her  our  feeling. 

As  for  her  own  courtesy  and  restraint,  I  have  never  seen 
them  surpassed  by  any  one.  Shock  upon  shock  must  have 
been  hers  as  we  passed  through  that  village  of  her  child- 
hood and  affection.  She  went  into  those  noisome  hovels 
without  the  faintest  hesitation  ;  she  breathed  their  atmos- 
phere without  complaint ;  she  embraced  the  women  with- 
out shrinking. 

She  knew  perfectly  why  we  did  not  buy  the  baskets ; 
but  she  received  our  excuses  with  every  appearance  of 
believing  them  to  be  sincere,  and  she  offered  us  others 
with  utmost  dignity  and  with  the  manner  of  serving  us, 
strangers,  in  a  strange  land. 

If  her  delicacy  was  outraged  by  the  scenes  she  wit- 
nessed, there  was  not  the  faintest  trace  of  it  visible  in  her 
manner.  She  made  no  excuses  for  the  people,  nor  for 
their  manner  of  living,  nor  for  the  village.  Belkoffski 
had  been  her  childhood's  home,  her  father's  field ;  its 
people  had  befriended  her  and  had  given  her  love  and 
tenderness  when  she  was  in  need  ;  therefore,  both  were 
sacred  and  beyond  criticism. 

When  we  returned  to  the  ship,  she  could  not  have 
failed  to  hear  the  jests  and  frank  opinions  of  Belkoffski 
which  were  freely  expressed  among  the  passengers ;  but 
her  grave,  dark  face  gave  no  sign  that  she  disapproved, 
or  even  that  she  heard. 

A  government  cutter  should  be  sent  to  Belkoffski  with 
orders  to  clean  it  up,  and  to  burn  such  portions  as  are  past 
cleansing.  So  far  as  the  Russian  priest  and  the  people  in 
his  charge  are  concerned,  they  would  be  benefited  by  less 
religion  and  more  cleanliness. 

Dr.  Hutton,  an  army  surgeon  stationed  at  Fort  Seward 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  383 

on  Lynn  Canal,  and  Judge  Gunnison,  of  Juneau,  have 
recently  made  an  appeal  to  President  Roosevelt  for  relief 
for  diseased  and  suffering  Indians  of  Alaska. 

Tuberculosis  and  trachoma  prevail  among  the  many 
tribes  and  are  increasing  at  an  alarming  rate,  owing  to 
the  utter  lack  of  sanitation  in  the  villages.  Alaskans  trav- 
elling in  the  territory  are  thrown  in  constant  contact 
with  the  Indians.  They  are  encountered  on  steamers  and 
trains,  in  stores  and  hotels.  Owing  to  the  pure  air  and 
the  general  healthf  ulness  of  the  northern  climate,  Alaskans 
feel  no  real  alarm  over  the  conditions  prevailing  as  yet ; 
but  all  feel  that  the  time  has  arrived  when  the  Indians 
should  be  cared  for. 

Everything  purchased  of  an  Indian  should  be  at  once 
fumigated  —  especially  furs,  blankets,  baskets,  and  every 
article  that  has  been  handled  by  him  or  housed  in  one  of 
his  vile  shacks. 

The  United  States  Grand  Jury  recently  recommended 
that  medical  men  be  sent  by  the  government  to  attend  the 
disease-stricken  creatures,  and  that  a  system  of  inspection 
and  education  along  sanitary  lines  —  with  special  stress 
laid  upon  domestic  sanitation  —  should  be  established. 

This  system  should  be  extended  to  the  last  island  of  the 
Aleutian  Chain,  and  in  the  interior  down  the  Yukon  to 
Nome.  The  fur  trade  and  the  canneries  depend  largely 
upon  the  labor  of  Indians.  The  former  industry  could 
scarcely  be  made  successful  without  them.  The  Indians 
are  rapidly  becoming  a  "  vanishing  race  "  in  the  North,  as 
elsewhere.  For  the  vices  that  are  to-day  responsible  for 
their  unfortunate  condition  they  are  indebted  to  the  white 
men  who  have  kept  them  supplied  with  cheap  whiskey 
ever  since  the  advent  of  the  first  American  traders  who 
taught  them,  soon  after  the  purchase  of  Alaska  by  the 
United  States,  to  make  "  hootchenoo  "  of  molasses,  flour, 
dried  apples,  or  rice,  and  hops.     This  highly  intoxicating 


384  ALASKA:    THE    GliEAT    COUNTRY 

and  degrading  liqaor  was  known  also  as  molasses-rura. 
During  the  latter  part  of  the  seventies,  six  thousand  five 
]iundred  and  twenty-four  gallons  of  molasses  were  de- 
livered at  Sitka  and  Wrangell. 

The  loss  of  their  help,  however,  is  not  so  serious  — 
being  merely  a  commercial  loss  —  as  the  danger  to  civilized 
people  by  coming  in  contact  with  these  dreaded  diseases. 
An  Indian  in  Alaska  whose  eyes  are  not  diseased  is  an 
exception,  while  the  ravages  of  consumption  are  very 
frequently  visible  to  the  most  careless  observer.  Both 
diseases  are  aggravated  by  such  conditions  as  those  exist- 
ing at  Belkoffski.  A  physician  should  be  stationed  there 
for  a  few  years  at  least,  to  teach  these  poor,  kind-hearted 
people  what  the  Russian  priest  has  not  taught  them  —  the 
science  of  sanitation. 

Bishop  Rowe  reports  that  if  there  were  no  missionaries 
to  protect  the  Eskimo  and  Indians  from  unscrupulous 
white  whiskey-traders,  they  would  survive  but  a  short 
time.  When  they  can  obtain  cheap  liquors  they  go  on 
prolonged  and  licentious  debauches,  and  are  unable  to 
provide  for  their  actual  physical  needs  for  the  long,  hard 
winter.  Their  condition  then  becomes  pitiable,  and  many 
die  of  hunger  and  privation.  Prosecutions  are  made  en- 
tirely by  missionaries.  One  Episcopal  missionary  post  is 
conducted  by  two  young  women,  one  of  whom  was  for- 
merly a  society  woman  of  Los  Angeles.  The  post  is  more 
than  a  thousand  miles  from  Fairbanks,  the  nearest  city, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from  the  nearest 
white  settler.  It  is  owing  to  the  reports  and  the  prosecu- 
tions of  missionaries  in  all  parts  of  Alaska  that  the  out- 
rages formerly  practised  upon  Eskimo  women  by  licentious 
white  traders  are  on  the  decrease. 

Federal  Commissioner  of  Education  Brown  advocates 
a  compulsory  school  law  for  Alaska.  He  favors  instruc- 
tion in  modern  methods  of  fishing  and  of  curinsf  fish  ;   in 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  385 

the  care  of  all  parts  of  walrus  that  are  merchantable  ;  in 
the  handling  of  wooden  boats,  the  tanning  and  preparing 
of  skins,  in  coal  mining  and  the  elements  of  agriculture. 

In  1907  fifty-two  native  schools  were  maintained  in 
Alaska,  with  two  thousand  five  hundred  children  enrolled. 
Ten  new  school  buildings  have  recently  been  constructed. 

The  reindeer  service  has  been  one  of  Alaska's  grave 
scandals,  but  it  has  greatly  improved  during  the  past  year. 

The  Eskimo,  or  Innuit,  inhabit  a  broad  belt  of  the  coast 
line  bordering  on  Behring  Sea  and  the  Arctic  Ocean,  as 
well  as  along  the  coast  "  to  Westward  "  from  Yakutat ; 
also  the  lower  part  of  the  Yukon. 

Lieutenant  Emmons,  who  is  one  of  the  highest  authori- 
ties on  the  natives  of  Alaska  and  their  customs,  has  fre- 
quently reported  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  Eskimo, 
and  the  prevalence  of  tuberculosis  and  other  dread  dis- 
eases among  them. 

In  1900  an  epidemic  of  measles  and  la  grippe  devastated 
the  Northwestern  Coast.  Out  of  a  total  population  of  three 
thousand  natives  about  the  mouth  of  the  Kuskokwim, 
fully  half  died,  without  medical  attendance  or  nursing, 
within  a  few  months. 

The  hospitality  and  generous  kindness  of  the  Eskimo  to 
those  in  need  is  proverbial.  Ever  since  their  subjection 
by  the  early  Russians  —  to  whom,  also,  they  would  doubt- 
less have  shown  kindness  had  they  not  been  afraid  of 
them  —  no  shipwrecked  mariner  has  sought  their  huts  in 
vain.  Often  the  entire  crew  of  an  abandoned  vessel  has 
been  succored,  clothed,  and  kept  from  starvation  during  a 
whole  winter  —  the  season  when  provisions  are  scarce  and 
the  Eskimo  themselves  scarcely  know  how  to  find  the 
means  of  existence. 

Along  the  islands,  the   rivers,   and   lakes,  nature   has 
provided  them  with  food  and  clothing,  if  they  were  but 
educated  to  make  the  most  of  these  blessings. 
2c 


386  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

But  the  vast  country  bordering  the  coast  between  the 
Kuskokwiin  and  the  Yukon,  and  extending  inland  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  is  low  and  swampy.  This  is  the 
dreariest  portion  of  Alaska.  Tundra,  swamps,  and  slug- 
gish rivers  abound.  There  is  no  game,  and  the  natives 
live  on  fish  and  seal.  The  winters  are  severe,  the  climate 
is  cold  and  excessively  moist.  Food  has  often  failed,  and 
the  old  or  helpless  are  called  upon  to  go  alone  out  upon 
the  storm-swept  tundra  and  yield  their  hard  lives  —  bitter 
and  cheerless  at  the  best — that  the  young  and  strong  may 
live.  As  late  as  1901  Lieutenant  Emmons  reports  that 
this  system  of  unselfish  and  heart-breaking  suicide  was 
practised ;  and  it  is  probably  still  in  vogue  in  isolated 
places  when  occasion  demands. 

This  district  is  so  poor  and  unprofitable  that  the  pros- 
pector and  the  trader  have  so  far  passed  it  by ;  yet,  by 
some  means,  the  white  man's  worst  diseases  have  been 
carried  in  to  them. 

These  people  are  in  dire  need  of  schools,  hospitals, 
medical  treatment,  and  often  simple  food  and  clothing. 

Farther  north,  on  Seward  Peninsula  and  along  the 
lower  Yukon,  the  natives  who  have  mingled  with  the 
miners  and  traders  could  easily  be  taught  to  be  not  only 
self-supporting  but  of  real  value  to  the  communities  in 
which  they  live.  They  are  intelligent,  docile,  easily  di- 
rected, and  eager  to  learn.  Lieutenant  Emmons  found 
that  everywhere  they  asked  for  schools,  that  their  chil- 
dren, to  whom  they  are  most  affectionately  devoted,  may 
learn  to  be  "  smart  like  the  white  man." 

They  are  more  humble,  dependent,  and  trustful  than  the 
Indians,  and  could  easily  be  influenced.  But  people  do 
not  go  to  Alaska  to  educate  and  care  for  diseased  and 
loathsome  natives,  unless  they  are  paid  well  for  the  mis- 
sion. So  long  as  the  natives  obey  the  laws  of  the  country, 
no  one  has  authority  over  them.     No  one  is  interested  in 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  387 

them,  or  has  the  time  to  spare  in  teaching  them.  The 
United  States  government  should  take  care  of  these  peo- 
ple. It  should  take  measures  to  protect  them  from  the 
death-dealing  whiskey  with  which  they  are  supplied ;  to 
provide  them  with  schools,  hospitals,  medical  care ;  it 
should  supply  them  with  reindeer  and  teach  them  to  care 
for  these  animals. 

Surely  the  government  of  the  United  States  asks  not  to 
be  informed  more  than  once  by  such  authorities  as  Lieu- 
tenant Emmons,  Bishop  Rowe,  Judge  Gunnison,  Ex- 
Governor  Brady,  and  Doctor  Hutton  that  these  most 
wretched  beings  on  the  outskirts  of  the  world  are  begging 
for  education,  and  that  they  are  sorely  in  need  of  medical 
services. 

The  government  schools  in  the  territory  of  Alaska  are 
supported  by  a  portion  of  the  license  moneys  levied  on  the 
various  industries  of  the  country.  Alaska  has  an  area  of 
six  hundred  thousand  square  miles  and  an  estimated  native 
and  |ialf-breed  population  of  twenty-five  thousand ;  and 
for  these  people  only  fifty-two  schools  and  as  many 
poorly  paid  teachers  ! 

When  I  have  criticised  the  Russian  Church  because  it 
has  not  taught  these  people  cleanliness,  I  blush  —  remem- 
bering how  my  own  government  has  failed  them  in  needs 
as  vital.  And  when  I  reflect  upon  the  outrages  perpe- 
trated upon  them  by  my  own  fellow-countrymen —  who 
have  deprived  them  largely  of  their  means  of  livelihood, 
robbed  them,  debauched  them,  ravished  their  women,  and 
lured  away  their  young  girls  —  when  I  reflect  upon  these 
things,  my  face  burns  with  shame  that  I  should  ever 
criticise  any  other  people  or  any  other  government  than 
my  own. 

The  recent  rapid  development  of  Alaska,  and  the  ap- 
propriation of  the  native  food-supplies  by  miners,  traders, 
canners,  and  settlers,   present   a   problem  that   must   be 


388       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

solved  at  once.  In  regard  to  the  Philippines,  we  were 
like  a  child  with  a  new  to}' ;  we  could  not  play  with  them 
and  experiment  with  them  enough;  yet  for  forty  years 
these  dark,  gentle,  uncomplaining  people  of  our  most 
northern  and  most  splendid  possession  —  beautiful,  glori- 
ous Alaska — have  been  patiently  waiting  for  all  that  we 
should  long  ago  have  given  them :  protection,  interest, 
and  the  education  and  training  that  would  have  converted 
them  from  diseased  and  wretched  beings  into  decent  and 
useful  people. 

According  to  Lieutenant  Emmons,  the  condition  of  the 
Copper  River  Indians  is  exceptionally  miserable ;  and  of 
all  the  native  people,  either  coastal  or  of  the  interior,  they 
are  most  needy  and  in  want  of  immediate  assistance. 
Reduced  in  number  to  barely  two  hundred  and  fifty  souls, 
scattered  in  small  communities  along  the  river  valleys 
amidst  the  loftiest  mountains  of  the  continent  and  under 
the  most  rigid  climatic  conditions,  their  natural  living  has 
been  taken  from  them  by  the  white  man,  without  the 
establishment  of  any  labor  market  for  their  self-support 
in  return. 

Prior  to  1888  they  lived  in  a  very  primitive  state,  and 
were,  even  then,  barely  able  to  maintain  themselves  on  the 
not  over-abundant  game  life  of  the  valley,  together  with 
the  salmon  coming  up  the  river  for  spawning  purposes. 
The  mining  excitement  of  that  year  brought  several  thou- 
sand men  into  the  Copper  River  Valley,  on  their  way  to 
the  Yukon  and  the  Klondike. 

They  swept  the  country  clean  of  game,  burnt  over  vast 
districts,  and  frequently  destro^'ed  what  they  could  not 
use.  About  the  same  time  the  salmon  canneries  in  Prince 
William  Sound,  having  exhausted  the  home  streams,  ex- 
tended their  operations  to  the  Copper  River  delta,  decreas- 
ing the  Indians'  salmon  catch,  which  had  always  provided 
them  with  food  for  the  bitter  winters. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  389 

These  Indians  are  simple,  kind-hearted,  and  have  ever 
been  friendly  and  hospitable  to  the  white  man.  They  re- 
spect his  cache,  although  their  own  has  not  always  been 
respected  by  him. 

At  Copper  Centre,  which  is  connected  by  military 
wagon  road  with  the  coast  at  Valdez,  flour  sells  for  twenty- 
four  dollars  a  hundredweight,  and  all  other  provisions 
and  clothing  in  proportion ;  so  it  may  be  readily  under- 
stood that  the  white  people  of  the  interior  cannot  afford 
to  divide  their  provisions  with  the  starving  Indians,  else 
they  would  soon  be  in  the  same  condition  themselves. 
Therefore,  for  these  Indians,  too,  —  fortunately  few  in 
number,  —  the  government  must  provide  liberally  and  at 
once. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII 

At  sunset  on  the  day  of  our  landing  at  Belkoffski  we 
passed  the  active  volcanoes  of  Pogromni  and  Shishaldin, 
on  the  island  of  Unimak.  For  years  I  had  longed  to  see 
Shishaldin ;  and  one  of  my  nightly  prayers  during  the 
voyage  had  been  for  a  clear  and  beautiful  light  in  which 
to  see  it.  Not  to  pass  it  in  the  night,  nor  in  the  rain, 
nor  in  the  fog ;  not  to  be  too  ill  to  get  on  deck  in  some 
fashion  —  this  had  been  my  prayer. 

For  days  I  had  trembled  at  the  thought  of  missing 
Shishaldin.  To  long  for  a  thing  for  years ;  to  think  of  it 
by  day  and  to  dream  of  it  by  night,  as  though  it  were  a 
sweetheart ;  to  draw  near  to  it  once,  and  once  only  in  a 
lifetime  —  aud  then,  to  pass  it  without  one  glimpse  of  its 
coveted  loveliness  !  — that  would  be  too  bitter  a  fate  to  be 
endured. 

In  a  few  earnest  words,  soon  after  leaving  Valdez,  I 
had  acquainted  the  captain  with  my  desire. 

It  was  his  watch  when  I  told  him.  He  was  pacing  in 
front  of  the  pilot-house.  A  cigar  was  set  immovably 
between  his  lips.  He  heard  me  to  the  end  and  then,  with- 
out looking  at  me,  smiled  out  into  the  golden  distance 
ahead  of  us. 

"  You  fix  the  weather,"  said  he,  "  and  I'll  fix  the  moun- 
tain." 

I,  or  some  other,  had  surely  "fixed  "  the  weather. 

No  such  trip  had  ever  been  known  by  the  oldest  member 
of  the  crew.     Only  one  rainy  night  and  one  sweet  half- 

390 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  391 

cloudy  afternoon.  For  the  rest,  blue  and  golden  days  and 
nights  of  amethyst. 

But  would  the  captain  forget  ?  The  thought  always 
made  my  heart  pause ;  yet  there  was  something  in  the 
firm  lines  of  his  strong,  brown  face  that  made  it  impossi- 
ble for  me  to  mention  it  to  him  again. 

But  on  that  evening  I  was  sitting  in  the  dining  room 
which,  when  the  tables  were  cleared,  was  a  kind  of  general 
family  living  room,  when  Charlie  came  to  me  with  his 
angelic  smile. 

"  The  captain,  he  say  you  please  come  on  deck  right 
away." 

I  went  up  the  companion-way  and  stepped  out  upon  the 
deck  ;  and  there  in  the  north,  across  the  blue,  mist- 
softened  sea,  in  the  rich  splendor  of  an  Aleutian  sunset, 
trembled  and  glowed  the  exquisite  thing  of  my  desire. 

In  the  absolute  perfection  of  its  conical  form,  its  chaste 
and  delicate  beauty  of  outline,  and  the  slender  column  of 
smoke  pushing  up  from  its  finely  pointed  crest,  Shishaldin 
stands  alone.  Its  height  is  not  great,  only  nine  thousand 
feet ;  but  in  any  company  of  loftier  mountains  it  would 
shine  out  with  a  peerlessness  that  would  set  it  apart. 

The  sunset  trembled  upon  the  North  Pacific  Ocean, 
changing  hourly  as  the  evening  wore  on.  Through  scarlet 
and  purple  and  gold,  the  mountain  shone ;  through  lav- 
ender, pearl,  and  rose;  growing  ever  more  distant  and 
more  dim,  but  not  less  beautiful.  At  last,  it  could  barely 
be  seen,  in  a  flood  of  rich  violet  mist,  just  touched  with 
rose. 

So  steadily  I  looked,  and  with  such  a  longing  passion  of 
greeting,  rapture,  possession,  and  farewell  in  my  gaze  and 
in  my  heart,  that  lo  !  when  its  last  outline  had  blurred 
lingeringly  and  sweetly  into  the  rose-violet  mist,  I  found 
that  it  was  painted  in  all  its  delicacy  of  outline  and  soft 
splendor  of  coloring  upon  my  memory.     There  it  burns 


392  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

to-day  in  all  its  loveliness  as  vividly  as  it  burned  that 
night,  ere  it  faded,  line  by  line,  across  the  widening  sea. 
It  is  mine.  I  own  it  as  surely  as  I  own  the  green  hill 
upon  which  I  live,  the  blue  sea  that  sparkles  daily  be- 
neath my  windows,  the  gold-brilliant  constellations  that 
move  nightly  above  my  home,  or  the  song  that  the  meadow- 
lark  sings  to  his  mate  in  the  April  dawn. 

The  sea  breaks  into  surf  upon  Sliishaldin's  base,  and 
snow  covers  the  slender  cone  from  summit  to  sea  level, 
save  for  a  month  or  two  in  summer  when  it  melts  around 
the  base.  Owing  to  the  mists,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
obtain  a  sharp  negative  of  Shishaldin  from  the  water. 

They  played  with  it  constantly.  They  wrapped  soft 
rose-colored  scarfs  about  its  crest  ;  they  wound  girdles  of 
purple  and  gold  and  pearl  about  its  middle  ;  they  set 
rayed  gold  upon  it,  like  a  crown.  Now  and  then,  for  a 
few  seconds  at  a  time,  they  drew  away  completely,  as  if 
to  contemplate  its  loveliness  ;  and  then,  as  if  overcome 
and  compelled  by  its  dazzling  brilliance,  they  flung  them- 
selves back  upon  it  impetuously  and  crushed  it  for  several 
moments  completely  from  our  view. 

Large  and  small,  the  islands  of  the  Aleutian  Archipel- 
ago number  about  one  hundred.  They  drift  for  nearly 
fifteen  hundred  miles  from  the  point  of  the  Aliaska  Pen- 
insula toward  the  Kamchatkan  shore  ;  and  Attn,  the  last 
one,  lies  within  the  eastern  hemisphere.  This  chain  of 
islands,  reaching  as  far  west  as  the  Komandorski,  or  Com- 
mander, Islands  —  upon  one  of  which  Commander  Behr- 
ing  died  and  was  buried  —  was  named,  in  1786,  the 
Catherina  Archipelago,  by  Forster,  in  honor  of  the  liberal 
and  enlightened  Empress  Catherine  the  Second,  of 
Russia. 

The  Aleutian  Islands  are  divided  into  four  groups. 
The  most  westerly  are  Nearer,  or  Blizni,  Islands,  of  which 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  393 

the  famed  Attu  is  the  Largest ;  the  next  group  to  east- 
ward is  known  as  Rat,  or  Kreesi,  Islands;  then,  Andrea- 
noffski  Islands,  named  for  Andreanoff,  who  discovered 
them,  and  whose  largest  island  is  Atka,  where  it  is  said 
the  baskets  known  as  the  Attu  baskets  are  now  woven. 

East  of  this  group  are  the  Fox,  or  Leesi,  Islands.  This 
is  the  largest  of  the  four  Aleutian  groups,  and  contains 
thirty-one  islands,  including  Unimak,  which  is  the  largest 
in  the  archipelago.  Others  of  importance  in  this  group 
are  Unalaska,  formerly  spelled  Unalashka  ;  Umnak  ; 
Akutan  ;  Akhun  ;  Ukamak  ;  and  the  famed  volcano 
islands  of  St.  John  the  Theologian,  or  Joanna  Bogoslova, 
and  the  Four  Craters.  Unimak  Pass,  the  best  known 
and  most  used  passage  into  Behring  Sea,  is  between 
Unimak  and  Akhun  islands.  Akutan  Pass  is  between 
Akutan  and  Unalaska  islands ;  Umnak  Pass,  between 
Unalaska  and  Umnak  islands.  (These  us  are  pronounced 
as  though  spelled  oo.') 

Unalaska  and  Dutch  Harbor  are  situated  on  the  Island 
of  Unalaska.  By  the  little  flower-bordered  path  leading 
up  and  down  the  green,  velvety  hills,  these  two  settlements 
are  fully  two  miles  apart ;  by  water,  they  seem  scarcely 
two  hundred  yards  from  one  another.  The  steamer,  after 
landing  at  Dutch  Harbor,  draws  her  prow  from  the  wharf, 
turns  it  gently  around  a  green  point,  and  lays  it  beside 
the  wharf  at  Unalaska. 

The  bay  is  so  surrounded  by  hills  that  slope  softly  to 
the  water,  that  one  can  scarcely  remember  which  blue 
water-way  leads  to  the  sea.  There  is  a  curving  white 
beach,  from  which  the  town  of  Unalaska  received  its 
ancient  name  of  Iliuliuk,  meaning  "  the  beach  that  curves." 
The  white-painted,  red-roofed  buildings  follow  this  beach, 
and  loiter  picturesquely  back  over  the  green  level  to  the 
stream  that  flows  around  the  base  of  the  hills  and  finds 
the  sea  at  the  Unalaska  wharf. 


394  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

This  is  one  of  the  safest  harbors  in  the  world.  It  is 
one  great,  sparkling  sapphire,  set  deep  in  solid  emerald 
and  pearl.  It  is  entered  more  beautifully  than  even  the 
Bay  of  Sitka.  It  is  completely  surrounded  by  high 
mountains,  peak  rising  behind  peak,  and  all  covered  with 
a  thick,  green,  velvety  nap  and  crowned  with  eternal 
pearl. 

The  entrance  way  is  so  winding  that  these  peaks  have 
the  appearance  of  leaning  aside  to  let  us  slide  through, 
and  then  drawing  together  behind  us,  to  keep  out  the 
storms ;  for  ships  of  the  heaviest  draught  find  refuge  here 
and  lie  safely  at  anchor  while  tempests  rage  outside. 

Now  and  then,  between  two  enchantingly  green  near 
peaks,  a  third  shines  out  white,  far,  glistening  mistily  — 
covered  with  snow  from  summit  to  base,  but  with  a  dark 
scarf  of  its  own  internal  passion  twisted  about  its  out- 
wardly serene  brow. 

The  Kuro  S'iwo,  or  Japan  Current,  breaks  on  the  west- 
ern end  of  the  Aleutian  Chain  ;  half  flows  eastward  south 
of  the  islands,  and  carries  with  it  the  warm,  moist  atmos- 
phere which  is  condensed  on  the  snow-peaks  and  sinks 
downward  in  the  fine  and  delicious  mist  that  gives  the 
grass  and  mosses  their  vivid,  brilliant,  perpetual  green. 
The  other  half  passes  northward  into  Behring  Sea  and 
drives  the  ice  back  into  the  "  Frozen  Ocean."  Dall  was 
told  that  the  whalers  in  early  spring  have  seen  large  ice- 
bergs steadily  sailing  northward  through  the  strait  at  a 
knot  and  a  half  an  hour,  against  a  very  stiff  breeze  from 
the  north.  In  May  the  first  whalers  follow  the  Kamchat- 
kan  Coast  northward,  as  the  ice  melts  on  that  shore  earlier 
than  on  ours.  The  first  whaler  to  pass  East  Cape  secures 
the  spring  trade  and  the  best  catch  of  whales. 

The  color  of  the  Kuro  Siwo  is  darker  than  the  waters 
through  which  it  flows,  and  its  Japanese  name  signifies 
"Black  Stream."     Passing  on  down  the  coast,  it  carries  a 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  395 

warm  and  vivifying  moisture  as  far  southwest  as  Oregon. 
It  gives  the  Aleutians  their  bahuy  climate.  The  average 
winter  temperature  is  about  thirty  degrees  above  zero  ; 
and  the  summer  temperature,  from  fifty  to  sixty  degrees. 

The  volcano  Makushin  is  the  noted  "  smoker "  of  this 
island,  and  there  is  a  hot  spring,  containing  sulphur,  in 
the  vicinity,  from  which  loud,  cannon -like  reports  are 
frequently  heard.  The  natives  believe  that  the  moun- 
tains fouofht  together  and  that  Makushin  remained  the 
victor.  These  reports  were  probably  supposed  to  be 
fired  at  his  command,  as  warnings  of  his  fortified  position 
to  any  inquisitive  peak  that  might  chance  to  fire  a  lava 
interrogation-point  at  him. 

In  June,  and  again  in  October,  of  1778,  Cook  visited 
the  vicinity,  anchoring  in  Samghanooda  Harbor.  There 
he  was  visited  by  the  commander  of  the  Russian  ex- 
pedition in  this  region,  Gregorovich  Ismailoff.  The 
usual  civilities  and  gifts  were  exchanged.  Cook  sent 
the  Russian  some  liquid  gifts  which  were  keenly  appre- 
ciated, and  was  in  return  offered  a  sea-otter  skin  of 
such  value  that  Cook  courteously  declined  it,  accepting, 
instead,  some  dried  fish  and  several  baskets  of  lily  root. 

The  Russian  settlement  was  at  Iliuliuk,  which  was  dis- 
tant several  miles  from  Samghanooda.  Several  of  the 
members  of  Cook's  party  visited  the  settlement,  not- 
ably Corporal  Ledyard,  who  reported  that  it  consisted 
of  a  dwelling-house  and  two  storehouses,  about  thirty 
Russians,  and  a  number  of  Kamchatkans  and  natives  who 
were  used  as  servants  by  the  Russians.  They  all  lived 
in  the  same  houses,  but  ate  at  three  different  tables. 

Cook  considered  the  natives  themselves  the  most  gentle 
and  inoffensive  people  he  had  ever  "  met  with  "  in  his 
travels  ;  while  as  to  honesty,  "  they  might  serve  as  a 
pattern  to  the  most  civilized  nation  upon  earth."  He 
was  convinced,  however,  that  this   disposition   had  been 


396  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

produced  by  the  severities  at  first  practised  upon  them 
by  the  Russians  in  an  effort  to  subdue  them. 

Cook  described  them  as  low  of  stature,  but  plump  and 
well-formed,  dark-eyed,  and  dark-haired.  The  women 
wore  a  single  garment,  loose-fitting,  of  sealskin,  reaching 
below  the  knee  — -the  parka  ;  the  men,  the  same  kind  of 
garment,  made  of  the  skin  of  birds,  with  the  feathers 
worn  against  the  flesh.  Over  this  garment,  the  men 
wore  another  made  of  gut,  which  I  have  elsewhere  de- 
scribed under  the  name  of  kamelinka,  or  kamelayka.  All 
wore  "  oval-snouted "  caps  made  of  wood,  dyed  in  colors 
and  decorated  with  glass  beads. 

The  women  punctured  their  lips  and  wore  bone  labrets. 
"  It  is  as  uncommon,  at  Oonalashka,  to  see  a  man  with 
this  ornament  as  to  see  a  woman  without  it,"  he  adds. 

The  chief  was  seen  making  his  dinner  of  the  raw  head 
of  a  large  halibut.  Two  of  his  servants  ate  the  gills, 
which  were  cleaned  simply  "  by  squeezing  out  the  slime." 
The  chief  devoured  large  pieces  of  the  raw  meat  with  as 
great  satisfaction  as  though  they  had  been  raw  oysters. 

These  natives  lived  in  barabaras.  (This  word  is  pro- 
nounced with  the  accent  on  the  second  syllable ;  the 
correct  spelling  cannot  be  vouched  for  here,  because  no 
two  authorities  spell  it  in  the  same  way.) 

They  were  usually  made  by  forming  shallow  circular 
excavations  and  erecting  over  them  a  framework  of  drift- 
wood, or  whale-ribs,  with  double  walls  filled  with  earth 
and  stones  and  covered  over  with  sod. 

The  roofs  contained  square  openings  in  the  centre  for 
the  escape  of  smoke;  and  these  low  earth  roofs  were  used 
by  the  natives  as  family  gathering  places  in  pleasant 
weather.  Here  they  would  sit  for  hours,  doing  noth- 
ing and  gazing  blankly  at  nothing. 

The  entrance  was  through  a  square  hole  in,  or  near, 
the  roof.     It  was  reached  by  a  ladder,  and  descent  into 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  397 

the  interior  was  made  in  the  same  way,  or  by  means  of 
steps  cut  in  a  post.  A  narrow  dark  tunnel  led  to  the 
inner  room,  which  was  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in 
diameter. 

These  barabaras  were  sometimes  warmed  only  by  lamps  ; 
but  usually  a  fire  was  built  in  the  centre,  directly  under 
the  opening  in  the  roof.  Mats  and  skins  were  placed  on 
shelves,  slightly  elevated  above  the  floor,  around  the 
walls.  Many  persons  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages  lived  in 
these  places ;  frequently  several  dwellings  were  connected 
by  tunnels  and  had  one  common  hole-entrance.  The 
filth  of  these  airless  habitations  was  nauseating. 

Their  household  furniture  consisted  of  bowls,  spoons, 
buckets,  cans,  baskets,  and  one  or  two  Russian  pots  ;  a 
knife  and  a  hatchet  were  the  only  tools  they  possessed. 

The  huts  were  lighted  by  lamps  made  of  fiat  stones 
which  were  hollowed  on  one  side  to  hold  oil,  in  which 
dry  grass  was  burned.  Both  men  and  women  warmed 
their  bodies  by  sitting  over  these  lamps  and  spreading 
their  garments  around  them. 

The  natives  used  the  bidarka  here,  as  elsewhere. 

They  buried  their  dead  on  the  summits  of  hills,  rais- 
ing little  hillocks  over  the  graves.  Cook  saw  one  grave 
covered  with  stones,  to  which  every  one  passing  added  a 
stone,  after  the  manner  fancied  by  Helen  Hunt  Jackson 
a  hundred  years  later ;  and  he  saw  several  stone  hillocks 
that  had  an  appearance  of  great  antiquity. 

In  Unalaska  to-day  may  still  be  seen  several  barabaras. 
They  must  be  very  old,  because  the  native  habitations 
of  the  coast  are  constructed  along  the  lines  of  the  white 
man's  dwellings  at  the  present  time.  They  add  to  the 
general  quaint  and  picturesque  appearance  of  the  town, 
however.  Their  sod  roofs  are  overgrown  with  tall 
grasses,  among  which  wild  flowers  flame  out  brightly. 

(Unalaska  is  pronounced  Oo-na-las'-ka,  the  a's  having 


398  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

the  sound  of  a  in  arm.  Aleutian  is  pronounced  in  five 
syllables  :  A-le-oo'-shi-an,  with  the  same  sound  of  a.) 

The  island  of  Unalaska  was  sighted  by  Chirikoff  on  his 
return  to  Kamchatka,  on  the  4tli  of  September,  17-11. 

The  chronicles  of  the  first  expeditions  of  the  Russian 
traders  —  or  promyshleniki,  as  they  were  called  —  are 
wrapped  in  mystery.  But  it  is  believed  that  as  early  as 
1744  Emilian  Bassof  and  Andrei  Serebrennikof  voyaged 
into  the  islands  and  were  rewarded  by  a  catch  of  sixteen 
hundred  sea-otters,  two  thousand  fur-seals,  and  as  many 
blue  foxes. 

Stephan  Glottoff  was  the  first  to  trade  with  the  natives 
of  Unalaska,  whom  he  found  peaceable  and  friendly. 
The  next,  however,  Korovin,  attempted  to  make  a  settle- 
ment upon  the  island,  but  met  with  repulse  from  the 
natives,  and  several  of  his  party  were  killed. 

Glottoff  returned  to  his  rescue,  and  the  latter's  expedi- 
tion was  the  most  important  of  the  earlier  ones  to  the 
islands.  On  his  previous  visit  he  had  found  the  highly 
prized  black  foxes  on  the  island  of  Unalaska,  and  had 
carried  a  number  to  Kamchatka. 

I  have  related  elsewhere  the  story  of  the  atrocities 
perpetrated  upon  the  natives  of  these  islands  by  the  early 
promyshleniki.  During  the  years  between  1760  and  1770 
the  natives  were  in  active  revolt  against  their  oppressors ; 
and  it  was  not  until  the  advent  of  Solovioff  the  Butcher 
that  they  were  tortured  into  the  mild  state  of  submission 
in  which  they  were  found  by  Cook  in  1778,  and  in  which 
they  have  since  dwelt. 

Father  Veniaminoff  made  the  most  careful  study  of  the 
Aleutians,  beginning  about  1824.  It  has  been  claimed 
that  this  noble  and  devout  priest  was  so  good  that  he  per- 
ceived good  where  it  did  not  exist ;  and  his  statements 
concerning  his   beloved  Aleutians  are  not  borne  out  by 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  399 

the  proinyshleniki.  Considering  the  character  of  the 
latter,  I  prefer  to  believe  Veniaminoff. 

The  most  influential  Aleuts  were  those  who  were  most 
successful  in  hunting,  which  seemed  to  be  their  highest 
ambition.  The  best  hunters  possessed  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  wives  ;  and  they  were  never  stinted  in  this  luxury. 
Even  Veniaminoff,  with  his  rose-colored  glasses  on,  failed 
to  discover  virtue  or  the  faintest  moral  sense  among  them. 

"  They  incline  to  sensuality,"  he  put  it,  politely.  "  Be- 
fore the  teachings  of  the  Christian  religion  had  enlightened 
them,  this  inclination  had  full  sway.  The  nearest  con- 
sanguinity, only,  puts  limits  to  their  passions.  Although 
polygamy  was  general,  nevertheless  there  were  frequently 
secret  orgies,  in  which  all  joined.  .  .  .  The  bad  example 
and  worse  teachings  of  the  early  Russian  settlers  increased 
their  tendency  to  licentiousness." 

Child-murder  was  rare,  owing  to  the  belief  that  it  brought 
misfortune  upon  the  whole  village. 

Among  the  half-breeds,  the  character  of  the  dark  mother 
invariably  came  out  more  strongly  than  that  of  the  Rus- 
sian father.  They  learned  readily  and  intelligently,  and 
fulfilled  all  church  duties  imposed  upon  them  cheerfully, 
punctually,  and  with  apparent  pleasure. 

Under  the  teaching  of  Veniaminoff,  the  Aleuts  were 
easily  weaned  from  their  early  Pantheism,  and  from  their 
savage  songs  and  dances,  described  by  the  earlier  voyagers. 
They  no  longer  wore  their  painted  masks  and  hats,  al- 
though some  treasured  them  in  secret. 

The  successful  hunter,  in  times  of  famine  or  scarcity  of 
food,  shared  with  all  who  were  in  need.  The  latter  met 
him  when  his  boat  returned,  and  sat  down  silently  on  the 
shore.  This  is  a  sign  that  they  ask  for  aid ;  and  the 
hunter  supplies  them,  without  receiving,  or  expecting, 
either  restitution  or  thanks.  This  generosity  is  like  that 
of  the  people  of  Belkoffski;  it  comes  from  the  heart. 


400  ALAtiKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  Aleutians  were  frequently  intoxicated  ;  but  this 
condition  did  not  lead  to  quarrelling  or  trouble.  Murder 
and  attempts  at  murder  were  unknown  among  them. 

If  an  Aleut  were  injured,  or  offended,  after  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity,  he  received  and  bore  the  insult  in 
silence.  They  had  no  oaths  or  violent  epithets  in  their 
language ;  and  they  would  rather  commit  suicide  than  to 
receive  a  blow.  The  sting  that  lies  in  cruel  words  they 
dreaded  as  keenly. 

Veniaminoff  found  that  the  Aleuts  would  steal  nothing 
more  than  a  few  leaves  of  tobacco,  a  few  swallows  of 
brandy,  or  a  little  food ;  and  these  articles  but  rarely. 

The  most  striking  trait  of  character  displayed  by  the 
Aleut  was,  and  still  is,  his  patience.  He  never  complained, 
even  when  slowly  starving  to  death.  He  sat  by  the  shore  ; 
and  if  food  were  not  offered  to  him,  he  would  not  ask.  He 
was  never  known  to  sigh,  nor  to  groan,  nor  to  shed  tears. 

These  people  were  found  to  be  very  sensitive,  however, 
and  capable  of  deep  emotion,  even  though  it  was  never  re- 
vealed in  their  faces.  They  were  exceedingly  fond  of, 
and  tender  with,  their  children,  and  readily  interpreted  a 
look  of  contempt  or  ridicule,  which  invariably  offended  in 
the  highest  degree. 

The  most  beautiful  thing  recorded  of  the  Aleut  is  that 
when  one  has  done  him  a  favor  or  kindness,  and  has  after- 
ward offended  him,  he  does  not  forget  the  former  favor, 
but  permits  it  to  cancel  the  offence. 

They  scorn  lying,  hypocrisy,  and  exaggeration ;  and 
they  never  betray  a  secret.  They  are  so  hospitable  that 
they  will  den}-  themselves  to  give  to  the  stranger  that  is 
in  need.  They  detest  a  braggart,  but  they  never  dispute 
—  not  even  when  they  know  that  their  own  opinion  is  the 
correct  one. 

Veniaminoff  admitted  that  the  Aleuts  who  had  lived 
among  the  Russians  were  passionately  addicted  to  the  use 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  401 

of  liquor  and  tobacco.  But  even  with  their  drunkenness, 
their  uncleanness,  and  their  immorality,  the  Aleutian  char- 
acter seems  to  have  possessed  so  many  admirable,  and  even 
unusual,  traits  that,  if  the  training  and  everyday  influ- 
ences of  these  people  had  been  of  a  different  nature  from 
what  they  have  been  since  the}''  lost  Veniaminoff,  they 
would  have,  ere  this,  been  able  to  overcome  their  inherited 
and  acquired  vices,  and  to  have  become  useful  and  desir- 
able citizens. 

They  were  formerly  of  a  revengeful  nature,  but  after 
coming  under  the  influence  of  Veniaminoff,  no  instance  of 
revenge  was  discovered  by  him. 

They  learned  readily,  with  but  little  teaching,  not  only 
mechanical  things,  but  those,  also,  which  require  deep 
thought  —  such  as  chess,  at  which  they  became  experts. 

One  became  an  excellent  navigator,  and  made  charts 
which  were  followed  by  other  voyagers  for  many  years. 
Others  worked  skilfully  in  ivory,  and  the  dark-eyed  women 
wove  their  dreams  into  the  most  precious  basketry  of  the 
world. 


2p 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 

We  sailed  into  the  lovely  bay  of  Unalaska  on  the  fourth 
day  of  July.  The  entire  village,  native  and  white,  had 
gone  on  a  picnic  to  the  hills. 

We  spent  the  afternoon  loitering  about  the  deserted 
streets  and  the  green  and  flowery  hills.  One  could  sit 
contentedly  for  a  week  upon  the  hills,  —  as  the  natives  used 
to  sit  upon  the  roofs  of  their  barabaras,  —  doing  nothing 
but  looking  down  upon  the  idyllic  loveliness  shimmering 
in  every  direction. 

In  the  centre  of  the  town  rises  the  Greek-Russian  church, 
green-roofed  and  bulbous-domed,  adding  the  final  touch 
of  mysticism  and  poetry  to  this  already  enchanting  scene. 

At  sunset  the  mists  gathered,  slowly,  delicately,  beauti- 
fully. They  moved  in  softly  through  the  same  strait  by 
which  we  had  entered — little  rose-colored  masses  that 
drifted  up  to  meet  the  violet-tinted  ones  from  the  other 
end  of  the  bay.  In  the  centre  of  the  water  valley  they 
met  and  mixed  together,  and,  in  their  new  and  more  mar- 
vellous coloring,  pushed  up  about  the  town  and  the  lower 
slopes.  Out  of  them  lifted  and  shone  the  green  roof  and 
domes  of  the  church  ;  more  brilliantly  above  them,  napped 
thick  and  soft  as  velvet,  glowed  the  hills  ;  and  more  lus- 
trously against  the  saffron  sky  flashed  the  pearl  of  the 
higher  peaks. 

There  was  a  gay  dinner  party  aboard  the  Bora  that  night. 
Afterward,  we  all  attended  a  dance.     There  was  only  one 

402 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  403 

white  woman  in  the  hall  besides  my  friend  and  myself ; 
and  we  three  were  belles  !  We  danced  with  every  man 
who  asked  us  to  dance,  to  the  most  wonderful  music  I  have 
ever  heard.  One  of  the  musicians  played  a  violin  with  his 
hands  and  a  French  harp  with  his  mouth,  both  at  the  same 
time  —  besides  making  quite  as  much  noise  with  one  foot 
as  he  did  with  both  of  the  instruments  together. 

There  were  several  good-looking  Aleutian  girls  at  the 
dance.  They  had  pretty,  slender  figures,  would  have 
been  considered  well  dressed  in  any  small  village  in 
the    states,  and  danced  with  exceeding   grace  and    ease. 

We  went  to  this  dance  not  without  some  qualms  of 
various  kinds ;  but  we  went  for  the  same  reason  that 
"Cyanide  Bill"  told  us  he  had  journeyed  three  times 
to  the  shores  of  the  "Frozen  Ocean" —  "just   to   see." 

Toward  midnight  a  pretty  and  stylishly  gowned  young 
woman  came  in  with  an  escort  and  joined  in  the  dan- 
cing. As  she  whirled  past  us,  with  diamonds  flashing 
from  her  hands,  ears,  and  neck,  my  inquiring  Scotch 
friend  asked  a  gentleman  with  whom  she  was  dancing, 
"Who  is  the  pretty  dark-eyed  lady?  We  have  not 
seen  her  before." 

She  was  completely  extinguished  for  some  time  by 
his  reply,  given  with  the  cheerful  frankness  of  the 
North. 

"Oh,  that's  Nelly,  miss.  I  don't  know  any  other 
name  for   her.      We  just  always  call   her   Nelly,  miss." 

We  returned  to  the  steamer,  leaving  "  Nelly  "  to  twinkle 
on.  Our  curiosity  was  entirely  satisfied.  We  went  "  to 
see,"  and  we  had  seen. 

Captain  Gray  might  be  called  "  the  lord  of  Unalaska." 
He  is  the  "  great  gentleman  "  of  the  place.  He  has  for 
many  years  managed  the  affairs  of  the  Alaska  Commer- 
cial Company,  and  he  has  acted  as  host  to  almost  every 
traveller  who  has  voyaged  to  this  lovely  isle. 


404  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

After  supper,  which  was  served  on  the  steamer  at  mid- 
night, we  were  invited  to  his  home  "  to  finish  the  evening." 

"■At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning!"  gasped  my  com- 
panion. 

"  Hours  don't  count  up  here,"  said  our  captain.  "  It  is 
broad  daylight.  Besides,  it  is  the  4th  of  July.  I  think 
we  should  accept  the  invitation." 

We  did  accept  it,  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  it  was 
given,  and  it  was  one  of  the  most  profitable  of  evenings. 
We  found  a  home  of  comfort  and  refinement  in  the 
farthest  outpost  of  civilization  in  the  North  Pacific. 
The  hours  were  spent  pleasantly  with  good  music,  sing- 
ing, and  reading ;  and  delicate  refreshments  were  served. 

The  sun  shone  upon  my  friend's  scandalized  face  as  we 
returned  to  our  steamer.     It  was  nearly  five  o'clock. 

''  I  know  it  was  innocent  enough,"  said  she,  "  but  think 
liow  it  sounds!  —  a  dance,  with  only  three  white  women 
present  —  not  to  mention  '  Nelly  ' !  —  a  midnight  supper, 
and  then  an  invitation  to  '  finish  the  evening ' !  It  sounds 
like  one  of  Edith  Wharton's  novels." 

"  It's  Alaska,"  said  the  captain.  "  You  want  local  color 
—  and  you're  getting  it.  But  let  me  tell  you  that  you 
have  never  been  safer  in  your  life  than  you  have  been 
to-night." 

"•  Safe  !  "  echoed  she.  "  Fm  not  talking  about  the  safety 
of  it.     It's  the /orm  of  it." 

"  Form  doesn't  count,  as  yet,  in  the  Aleutians,"  said  the 
captain.  " '  There's  never  a  law  of  God  or  man  runs 
north  of  fifty-tliree  ! '  " 

"  There's  surely  never  a  social  law  runs  north  of  it," 
was  the  scornful  reply. 

The  next  morning  we  went  to  the  great  warehouses  of 
the  company,  to  look  at  old  Russian  samovars.  Captain 
Gray  personally  escorted  us  through  their  dim,  cob- 
webby, high-raftered  spaces.     There  was  one  long  counter 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  405 

covered  with  samovars,  and  we  began  eagerly  to  examine 
and  price  them. 

The  cheapest  was  twenty-five  dollars  ;  and  the  most 
expensive,  more  than  a  hundred. 

'"  But  they  are  all  sold,"  added  Captain  Gray,  gloomily. 

"  All  sold  !  "  we  exclaimed,  in  a  breath.  "  What  —  all  ? 
Every  one?  " 

"  Yes  ;  every  one,"  he  answered  mournfully. 

"  Why,  how  very  odd,"  said  I,  "  for  them  all  to  be  sold, 
and  all  to  be  left  here." 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  sighing.  "  The  captain  of  a  govern- 
ment cutter  bought  them  for  his  friends  in  Boston.  He 
has  gone  on  up  into  Behring  Sea,  and  will  call  for  them 
on  his  return." 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  try  to  buy  anything  that  is  not  for 
sale,  I  thanked  him  politely  for  showing  them  to  us  ;  and 
we  went  on  to  another  part  of  the  warehouse. 

We  found  nothing  else  that  was  already  "sold."  We 
bought  several  holy-lamps,  baskets,  and  other  things. 

"  I'm  sorry  about  the  samovars,"  said  I,  as  I  paid 
Captain  Gray. 

"  So  am  I,"  said  he.  Then  he  sighed.  "  There's  one, 
now,"  said  he,  after  a  moment,  thoughtfully.  "  I  might  — 
Wait  a  moment." 

He  disappeared,  and  presently  returned  with  a  perfect 
treasure  of  a  samovar,  —  old,  battered,  green  with  age  and 
use.     We  went  into  ecstasies  over  it. 

"  I'll  take  it,"  I  said.     "  How  much  is  it  ?  " 

"  It  was  twenty -five  dollars,"  said  he,  dismally.  "  It  is 
sold." 

"  How  very  peculiar,"  said  my  companion,  as  we  went 
away,  "to  keep  bringing  out  samovars  that  are  sold." 

For  two  years  my  thoughts  reverted  at  intervals  to 
those  "  sold "  samovars  at  Unalaska.  Last  summer  I 
went   down   the    Yukon.     At   St.    Michael   I  was  enter- 


406  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tained  at  the  famous  "  Cottage  "  for  several  days.  One 
day  at  dinner  I  asked  a  gentleman  if  he  knew  Captain 
Gray. 

"Of  Unalaska?  "  exclaimed  two  or  three  at  once.  Then 
they  all  burst  out  laughing. 

"  We  all  know  him,"  one  said.  "  Everybody  knows 
him." 

"  But  why  do  you  laugh  ?  " 

"  Oh,  because  he  is  so  '  slick  '  at  taking  in  a  tourist." 

"  In  what  manner?  "  asked  I,  stiffly.  I  remembered  that 
Captain  Gray  had  asked  me  if  I  were  a  tourist. 

They  all  laughed  again. 

"Oh,  especially  on  samovars." 

My  face  burned  suddenly. 

"  On  samovars  !  " 

"  Yes.  You  see  he  gets  a  tourist  into  his  warehouses  and 
shows  him  samovar  after  samovar  —  fifty  or  sixty  of  them 
—  and  tells  him  that  every  one  is  sold.  He  puts  on  the 
most  mournful  look. 

" '  This  one  was  twenty-five  dollars,'  he  says.  '  A 
captain  on  a  government  cutter  bought  them  to  take  to 
Boston.'  Then  the  tourist  gets  wild.  He  offers  five,  ten, 
twenty  dollars  more  to  get  one  of  those  samovars.  He 
always  gets  it  ;  because,  you  see,  Gray  wants  to  sell  it  to 
him  even  worse  than  he  wants  to  buy  it.  It  always 
works." 

"We  walked  over  the  hills  to  Dutch  Harbor — once 
called  Lincoln  Harbor.  There  is  a  stretch  of  blue  water 
to  cross,  and  we  were  ferried  over  by  a  gentleman  having 
much  Fourth-of-July  in  his  speech  and  upon  his  breath. 

His  efforts  at  politeness  are  remembered  joys,  while  a 
sober  ferr^^man  would  have  been  forgotten  long  ago.  But 
the  sober  ferrymen  that  morning  were  like  the  core  of  the 
little  boy's  apple. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  407 

It  was  the  most  beautiful  walk  of  my  life,  A  hard, 
narrow,  white  path  climbed  and  wound  and  fell  over  the 
vivid  green  hills ;  it  led  around  lakes  that  lay  in  the  hol- 
lows like  still,  liquid  sapphire,  set  with  the  pearl  of 
clouds  ;  it  lured  through  banks  of  violets  and  over  slopes 
of  trembling  bluebells ;  it  sent  out  tempting  by-paths  that 
ended  in  the  fireweed's  rosy  drifts ;  but  always  it  led  on 
—  narrow,  well-trodden,  yet  oh,  so  lonely  and  so  still ! 
Birds  sang  and  the  sound  of  the  waves  came  to  us  — 
that  was  all.  Once  a  little  brown  Aleutian  lad  came 
whistling  around  the  curve  in  the  path,  stood  still,  and 
gazed  at  us  with  startled  eyes  as  soft  and  dark  as  a 
gazelle's ;  but  he  was  the  only  human  being  we  saw 
upon  the  hills  that  day. 

We  saw  acres  that  were  deep  blue  with  violets.  They 
were  large  enough  to  cover  silver  half-dollars,  and  their 
stems  were  several  inches  in  length.  Fireweed  grew  low, 
but  the  blooms  were  large  and  of  a  deep  rose  color. 

Standing  still,  we  counted  thirteen  varieties  of  wild 
flowers  within  a  radius  of  six  feet.  There  were  the  snap- 
dragon, wild  rose,  columbine,  buttercup,  Solomon's  seal, 
anemone,  larkspur,  lupine,  dandelion,  iris,  geranium, 
monk's-hood,  and  too  many  others  to  name,  to  be  found 
on  the  hills  of  Unalaska.  There  are  more  than  two 
thousand  varieties  of  wild  flowers  in  Alaska  and  the  Yukon 
Territory.  The  blossoms  are  large  and  brilliant,  and  they 
cover  whole  hillsides  and  fill  deep  hollows  with  beautiful 
color.  The  bluebells  and  violets  are  exquisite.  The 
latter  are  unbelievably  large  ;  of  a  rich  blue  veined  with 
silver.  They  poise  delicately  on  stems  longer  than  those 
of  the  hot-house  flower  ;  so  that  we  could  gather  and  carry 
armfuls  of  them. 

The  site  of  Dutch  Harbor  is  green  and  level.  Fronting 
the  bay  are  the  large  buildings  of  the  North  American 


408       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Commercial  Com})any,  with  man}'  small  frame  cottages 
scattered  around  them.  All  are  painted  white,  with 
bright  red  roofs,  and  the  town  presents  a  clean  and  at- 
tractive appearance. 

Dutch  Harbor  is  the  prose,  and  Unalaska  the  poetry,  of 
the  island.  There  is  neither  a  hotel  nor  a  restaurant  at 
either  place.  It  was  one  o'clock  when  Ave  reached  Dutch 
Harbor;  we  had  breakfasted  early,  and  we  sought,  in  vain, 
for  some  building  that  might  resemble  an  "eating-house." 

We  finally  went  into  the  big  store,  and  meeting  the 
manager  of  the  company,  asked  to  be  directed  to  the 
nearest  restaurant. 

He  smiled. 

"  There  isn't  any,"  he  said. 

"  Is  there  no  place  where  one  may  get  something  to  eat  ? 
Bread  and  milk?     We  saw  cows  upon  the  hills." 

"  You  would  not  care  to  go  to  the  native  houses,"  he  re- 
plied, still  smiling.     "But  come  with  me." 

He  led  the  way  along  a  neat  board  walk  to  a  residence 
that  would  attract  attention  in  any  town.  It  was  large 
and  of  artistic  design. 

"  It  was  designed  by  Molly  Garfield,"  the  young  man 
somewhat  proudly  informed  us.  "  Her  husband  was  con- 
nected with  the  company  for  several  years,  and  they  built 
and  lived  in  this  house." 

The  house  was  richly  papered  and  furnished.  It  was 
past  the  luncheon  hour,  but  we  were  excellently  served  by 
a  perfectly  trained  Chinaman. 

For  more  than  a  hundred  years  the  great  commercial 
companies  —  beginning  with  the  Shelikoff  Company  — 
have  dispensed  the  hospitality  of  Alaska,  and  have  acted 
as  hosts  to  the  stranger  within  their  gates.  The  managers 
are  instructed  to  sell  provisions  at  reasonable  prices,  and 
to  supply  any  one  who  may  be  in  distress  and  unable  to 
pay  for  food. 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  409 

They  frequently  entertain,  as  guests  of  the  company 
they  represent,  travellers  to  these  lonely  places,  not  be- 
cause the  latter  are  in  need,  but  merely  as  a  courtesy  ; 
and  their  hospitality  is  as  free  and  generous  —  but  not  as 
embarrassing  —  as  that  of  Baranoff . 

That  night  I  sat  late  alone  u23on  the  hills,  on  a  tundra 
slope  that  was  blue  with  violets.  I  could  not  put  my 
hand  down  without  crushing  them.  The  lights  moving 
across  Unalaska  were  as  poignantly  interesting  as  the 
thoughts  that  come  and  go  across  a  stranger's  face  when 
he  does  not  know  that  one  is  observing. 

All  the  lights  and  shadows  of  the  vanishing  Aleutian 
race  seemed  to  be  moving  across  the  hills,  the  village,  the 
blue  bay. 

Scarcely  a  day  has  passed  that  I  have  not  gone  back 
across  the  blue  and  emerald  water-ways  that  stretch  be- 
tween, to  that  lovely  place  and  that  luminous  hour. 

Perhaps,  I  thought,  Veniaminoff  may  have  looked  down 
upon  this  exquisite  scene  from  this  same  violeted  spot  — 
Veniaminoff,  the  humble,  devout,  and  devoted  missionary, 
whom  I  should  rather  have  been  than  any  man  or  woman 
whose  history  I  know  ;  Veniaminoff,  who  lived  —  instead 
of  wrote  —  a  great,  a  sublime,  poem. 

Unalaska's  commercial  glory  has  faded.  It  was  once 
port  of  entry  for  all  vessels  passing  in  or  out  of  Behring 
Sea  ;  the  ships  of  the  Arctic  whaling  fleet  called  here  for 
water,  coal,  supplies,  and  mail  ;  during  the  years  that  the 
modus  Vivendi  was  in  force  it  was  headquarters  of  the 
United  States  and  the  British  fleets  patrolling  Behring 
Sea,  and  lines  of  captured  sealers  often  lay  here  at 
anchor. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  present  decade  Unalaska 
saw  its  most  prosperous  times.  Thousands  of  people 
waited  here  for  transportation  to  the  Klondike,    via  St. 


410  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Michael  and  the  Yukon.  Many  ships  were  built  here, 
and  one  still  lies  rotting  upon  the  ways. 

The  Greek  church  is  second  in  size  and  importance  to 
the  one  at  Sitka  only,  and  the  bishop  once  resided  here. 
There  is  a  Russian  parish  school,  a  government  day-school, 
and  a  Methodist  mission,  the  Jessie  Lee  Home.  The 
only  white  women  on  tlie  island  reside  at  the  Home.  The 
bay  has  frequently  presented  the  appearance  of  a  naval 
parade,  from  the  number  of  government  and  other  vessels 
lying  at  anchor. 

No  traveller  will  weary  soon  of  Unalaska.  There  are 
caves  and  waterfalls  to  visit,  and  unnumbered  excursions 
to  make  to  beautiful  places  among  the  hills.  Especially 
interesting  is  Samghanooda,  or  English,  Harbor,  where 
Cook  mended  his  ships  ;  while  Makushin  Harbor,  on  the 
western  coast,  where  Glottoff  and  his  Russians  first  landed 
in  1756,  is  only  thirty  miles  away. 

The  great  volcano  itself  is  easy  of  ascent,  and  the  view 
from  its  crest  is  one  of  the  memories  of  a  lifetime. 
Borka,  a  tiny  village  at  Samghanooda,  is  as  noted  for  its 
Dutcli-liks  cleanliness  as  Belkoffski  is  for  its  filth. 

The  other  islands  of  the  Aleutian  chain  drift  on  to 
westward,  lonely,  unknown  —  almost,  if  not  entirely,  un- 
inhabited. Now  and  then  a  small  trading  settlement  is 
found,  which  is  visited  only  by  Captain  Applegate,  —  the 
last  remaining  white  deep-sea  otter  hunter, —  and  once  a 
year  by  a  government  cutter,  or  the  Russian  priest  from 
Unalaska,  or  a  shrewd  and  wandering  trader. 

These  green  and  unknown  islands  are  the  islands  of  my 
dreams  —  and  dreams  do  "come  true"  sometimes.  This 
voyage  out  among  the  Aleutians  is  the  most  poetic  and 
enchanting  in  the  world  to-day :  and  I  shall  never  be 
entirely  happy  until  I  have  drifted  on  out  to  the  farthest 
island  of  Attn,  lying  within  the  eastern  hemisphere,  and 
watched  those  lonely,  dark  women,  with  the  souls  of  poets 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  411 

and  artists  and  the  patience  of  angels,  weaving  their 
dreams  into  ravishing  beauty  and  sending  them  out  into 
the  world  as  the  farewell  messages  of  a  betrayed  and  van- 
ishing people.  As  we  treat  them  for  their  few  remaining 
years,  so  let  us  in  the  end  be  treated. 

Alaska  is  to-day  the  centre  of  the  world's  volcanic  ac- 
tivity, and  the  mountainous  appearances  and  disappear- 
ances that  have  been  recorded  in  the  Aleutian  Islands 
are  marvellous  and  awesome.  To  these  upheavals  in  the 
North  Pacific  and  Behring  Sea  Whidbey's  adjectives, 
"  stupendous,"  "  tremendous,"  and  "  awfully  dreadful," 
might  be  appropriately  applied. 

On  July  the  fourth,  1907,  officers  of  the  revenue  cutter 
McCulloch  discovered  the  new  peak  which  they  named  in 
honor  of  their  vessel.  It  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fa- 
mous volcano  of  Joanna  Bogoslova,  or  Saint  John  the 
Theologian. 

In  1796  the  natives  of  Unalaska  and  the  adjoining 
islands  for  many  miles  were  startled  by  violent  reports, 
like  continued  cannonading,  followed  by  frightful  trem- 
blings of  the  earth  upon  which  they  stood. 

A  dense  volume  of  smoke,  ashes,  and  gas  descended 
upon  them  in  a  kind  of  cloud,  and  shut  everything  from 
their  view.  They  were  thus  enveloped  and  cannonaded 
for  about  ten  days,  when  the  atmosphere  gradually  cleared 
and  they  observed  a  bright  light  shining  upon  the  sea 
from  thirty  to  forty  miles  north  of  Unalaska.  The  brave 
ones  of  the  island  went  forth  in  bidarkas  and  discovered 
that  a  small  island  had  risen  from  the  sea  to  a  height  of 
one  hundred  feet  and  that  it  was  still  rising. 

This  was  the  main  peak  of  the  Bogosloff  group,  and  it 
continued  to  grow  until  1825,  when  it  reached  a  height  of 
about  three  hundred  feet  and  cooled  sufficiently  for  Rus- 
sians to  land  upon  it  for  the  first  time.     The  heat  was 


412  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

still  so  intense,  however,  and  the  danger  from  running 
lava  so  great,  that  they  soon  withdrew  to  their  boats. 

In  the  early  eighties,  after  similar  disturbances,  another 
peak  arose  near  the  first  and  joined  to  it  by  a  low  isthmus, 
upon  which  stood  a  rock  seventy  feet  in  height,  which  was 
named  Ship-Rock.  In  1891  the  isthmus  sank  out  of  sight 
in  the  sea,  and  a  new  peak  arose. 

Since  then  no  important  changes  have  occurred.  The 
peaks  themselves  remained  too  hot  and  dangerous  for  ex- 
amination ;  but  the  short  voyage  out  from  Unalaska  has 
been  a  favorite  one  for  tourists  who  were  able  to  land 
upon  the  lower  rocks  and  spend  a  day  gathering  speci- 
mens and  studying  the  sea-lions  that  doze  in  polyga,mous 
herds  in  the  warmth,  and  the  shrieking  murres  that  nest 
in  the  cliffs  and  cover  them  like  a  tremulous  gray-white 
cloud. 

Every  inch  of  space  on  these  cliffs  seems  to  be  taken 
by  these  birds  for  the  creation  of  life.  On  every  tiniest 
shelf  they  perch  upright,  black-backed  and  white-bellied, 
brooding  their  eggs  —  although  these  hot  and  steamy  cliffs 
are  sufficient  incubators  to  bring  forth  life  out  of  every 
egg  deposited  upon  them.  When  the  murres  are  sud- 
denly disturbed,  their  eggs  slip  from  their  hold  and  plunge 
down  the  cliffs,  splattering  them  with  the  yellow  of  their 
broken  yolks. 

The  last  week  in  July,  1907,  I  passed  close  to  the 
Bogosloff  Islands,  which  had  grown  to  the  importance 
of  four  peaks.  Three  days  later  a  violent  earthquake 
occurred  in  this  vicinity.  Once  more  dense  clouds  of 
smoke  descended  upon  Unalaska  and  the  adjoining  islands, 
and  ashes  poured  upon  the  sea  and  land,  as  far  north  as 
Nome,  covering  the  decks  of  passing  steamers  to  a  depth 
of  several  inches,  and  affecting  sailors  so  powerfully  that 
they  could  only  stay  on  deck  for  a  few  moments  at  a  time. 

On  September  the  first,  the    captain  and  men  of  the 


ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  413 

whaler  Herman,  passing  the  Bogosloff  group,  beheld  a 
sight  to  observe  which  I  would  cheerfully  have  yielded 
several  years  of  life.  They  saw  the  two-months-old 
McCulloch  peak  burn  itself  down  into  the  sea,  with  vast 
columns  of  steam  ascending  miles  into  the  air  above  it, 
and  the  waters  boiling  madly  on  all  sides.  It  went  down, 
foot  by  foot,  and  the  men  stood  spellbound,  watching  it 
disappear.  For  miles  around  the  sea  was  violently  agi- 
tated and  was  mixed  with  volcanic  ash,  which  also  covered 
the  decks,  and  at  intervals  steam  poured  up  unexpectedly 
out  of  the  ocean. 

As  soon  as  possible  the  revenue  cutter  Buffalo  went  to 
the  wonderful  volcanic  group,  and  it  was  found  that  their 
whole  appearance  was  changed. 

There  were  three  peaks  where  four  had  been;  but 
whereas  they  had  formerly  been  separate  and  distinct 
islands,  they  were  now  connected  and  formed  one  island. 

This  island  is  two  and  a  half  miles  long.  Perry  Peak, 
which  arose  in  1906,  had  increased  in  height  ;  and  there 
was  a  crater-like  depression  on  its  south  side,  around 
which  the  waters  were  continually  throwing  off  vast  clouds 
of  steam  and  smoke.  Captain  Pond  reported  that  rocks 
as  large  as  a  house  were  constantly  rolling  down  from 
Perry  Peak,  and  that  the  whole  scene  was  one  of  wonder- 
ful interest.  To  his  surprise,  the  colony  of  sea-lions,  which 
must  have  been  frightened  away,  had  returned,  and  seemed 
to  be  enjoying  the  steamy  heat  on  the  rocks  of  the  main 
and  oldest  peak  of  the  group. 

The  disappearance  of  McCulloch  peak  was  accompanied 
by  earthquake  shocks  as  far  to  eastward  as  Sitka. 
Makushin,  the  great  volcano  of  Unalaska,  and  others, 
smoked  violently,  and  ashes  fell  over  the  Aleutian  Islands 
and  the  mainland.  At  the  same  time  uncharted  rocks 
began  to  make  their  appearance  all  along  the  coast,  to  the 
grave  danger  of  navigation. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

In  the  heart  of  Behring'  Sea,  about  two  hundred  miles 
north  of  Unalaska,  lie  two  tiny  cloud  and  mist  haunted 
and  wind-racked  islands  which  are  the  great  slaughter- 
grounds  of  Alaska.  Here,  for  a  hundred  and  twenty 
years,  during  the  short  seal  season  each  year,  men  have 
literally  waded  through  the  bloody  gore  of  the  helpless 
animals,  which  they  have  clubbed  to  death  by  thousands 
that  women  may  be  handsomely  clothed. 

The  surviving  members  of  Vitus  Behring's  ill-starred 
expedition  carried  back  with  them  a  large  number  of 
skins  of  the  valuable  sea-otter.  From  that  date  —  1742  — 
until  about  1770  the  promyshleniki  engaged  in  such  an 
unresting  slaughter  of  the  otter  that  it  was  almost  exter- 
minated. 

In  desperation,  they  turned,  then,  to  the  chase  of  the 
fur-seal,  and  for  years  sought  in  vain  for  the  rumored 
breeding-grounds  of  this  pelagic  animal.  The  islands  of 
St.  Paul  and  St.  George  were  finally  discovered  in  1786, 
by  Gerassim  Pribyloff,  who  heard  tlie  seals  barking  and  roar- 
ing through  the  heavy  fogs,  and,  sailing  cautiously  on, 
surprised  them  as  they  lay  in  polygamous  groups  by  the 
million  upon  the  rocky  shores. 

Pribyloff  was  the  son  of  a  sailor  who  had  accompanied 
Behring  on  the  jSt.  Peter.  He  modestly  named  his  price- 
less discovery  "  Subov,"  for  the  captain  and  part  owner 
of  the  trading  association  for  which  he  worked.  He  him- 
self was  not  engaged  in  sealing,  but  was  simply  the  first 

414 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  415 

mate  of  the  sloop  St.  G-eorge.  The  Russians,  however, 
renamed  the  islands  for  their  discoverer;  and  happily  the 
name  has  endured. 

St.  George  Island  is  ten  miles  in  length  by  from  two 
to  four  in  width.  It  is  higher  than  the  larger  St.  Paul, 
which  lies  twenty-seven  miles  farther  north,  and  rises 
more  abruptly  from  the  water. 

The  temperature  of  these  islands  is  not  low,  rarely  fall- 
ing to  zero;  but  the  wind  blows  at  so  great  velocity  that 
frequently  for  days  at  a  time  the  natives  can  only  go  from 
one  place  to  another  by  crawling  upon  their  hands  and 
knees. 

To  conserve  the  sealing  industry,  after  the  purchase  of 
Alaska,  the  exclusive  privilege  of  killing  seals  on  these 
islands  was  granted  to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company 
for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  When  this  lease  expired  in 
1890,  a  new  one  was  made  out  for  a  like  period  to  the 
North  American  Commercial  Company,  which  still  holds 
possession.  The  company  has  agents  on  both  islands,  and 
the  government  maintains  an  agent  and  his  assistant  on 
St.  Paul  Island,  and  an  assistant  on  St.  George,  to  enforce 
the  terms  of  the  concession. 

When  the  Russians  first  took  possession  of  the  Pribyloff 
Islands,  they  brought  several  hundred  Aleutians  and 
established  them  upon  the  islands  in  sod  houses,  where 
they  were  held  under  the  usual  slave-like  conditions  of 
this  abused  people.  They  were  miserably  housed  and 
fed,  received  only  the  smallest  wage,  —  from  which  they 
were  compelled  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  church, 
—  and  were  held,  against  their  wishes,  upon  these  dreary 
and  inhospitable  shores. 

With  the  coming  of  the  American  companies  all  was 
changed.  Comfortable,  clean  habitations  of  frame  were 
erected  for  them  ;  their  pay  was  inci-eased  from  ten  to 
forty  cents  each  for  the    removal  of   pelts ;    schools  and 


416  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

hospitals  were  provided,  children  being  compelled  to  at- 
tend the  former  ;  and  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liqnors  was 
prohibited.  There  are  between  a  hundred  and  fifty  and 
two  hundred  natives  on  the  islands  at  present. 

The  houses  are  lined  with  tar  paper,  painted  white,  with 
red  roofs,  and  furnished  with  stoves.  There  are  streets 
and  large  storehouses,  and  the  village  presents  an  at- 
tractive appearance. 

As  a  result  of  good  care,  food,  and  cleanliness,  the 
natives  are  able  to  do  twice  the  amount  of  work  accom- 
plished by  the  same  number  under  the  old  conditions. 
They  are  healthier,  happier,  and  more  industrious. 

The  value  of  the  fur-seal  catch  from  the  time  of  the 
purchase  of  Alaska  to  the  early  part  of  the  present  decade 
was  more  than  thirty-five  millions  of  dollars.  In  1903 
the  yearly  catch,  however,  had  dwindled  from  two  millions 
at  the  time  of  discovery  to  twenty-two  thousands. 

Indiscriminate  and  reckless  slaughter,  and  particularly 
tlie  pelagic  sealing  carried  on  by  poachers  —  it  being  im- 
possible to  distinguish  the  males  f ron  the  females  at  sea  — 
have  nearly  exterminated  the  seals.  They  will  soon  be 
as  rare  as  the  sea-otter,  which  vanished  for  the  same  shame- 
less reasons.  In  the  government's  lease  it  is  provided 
that  not  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  seals  shall  be 
taken  in  a  single  year  ;  but  of  recent  years  the  catch  has 
fallen  so  far  short  of  that  number  that  the  annual  rental, 
which  was  first  set  at  sixty  thousand  dollars,  has  had  a 
sliding,  diminishing  scale  until  it  has  finally  reached 
twelve  thousand  dollars. 

Great  trouble  has  been  experienced  with  pelagic  sealers. 
Pelagic  sealing  means  simply  following  the  seals  on  their 
way  north  and  killing  them  in  the  deep  sea  before  they 
reach  the  breeding-grounds.  There  have  been  American 
poachers,  but  the  majority  have  been  Canadians.  The 
United  States  government  at  first  claimed  exclusive  rights 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  417 

to  the  seals,  and  patrolled  the  waters  of  Behring  Sea,  as 
inland  waters,  frequently  seizing  vessels  belonging  to  other 
nations. 

The  matter,  after  much  bitter  feeling  on  both  sides, 
was  finally  submitted  to  the  "  Paris  Tribunal,"  which  did 
not  allow  our  claim  to  exclusive  sealing  rights  in  Behring 
Sea.  It,  however,  forbade  pelagic  sealing  within  a  zone  of 
sixty  miles  of  the  Pribyloff  islands. 

These  waters  are  now  patrolled  by  vessels  of  both  na- 
tions ;  but  Japanese  vessels  are  frequently  transgressors, 
the  Japanese  claiming  that  they  are  not  bound  by  the 
regulations  of  the  Paris  Tribunal.  Both  British  and  Ameri- 
can sealers  have  been  known  to  fly  the  Japanese  flag  when 
engaged  in  pelagic  sealing  in  forbidden  waters.  Trouble 
of  a  serious  nature  with  Japan  may  yet  arise  over  this 
matter. 

The  habits  and  the  life  of  the  seal  are  exceedingly  interest- 
ing. In  many  ways  these  graceful  creatures  are  startlingly 
human-like,  particularly  in  their  appealing,  reproachful 
looks  when  a  death-dealing  blow  is  about  to  be  struck. 
Some,  it  is  true,  yield  to  a  violent,  fighting  rage,  —  grow- 
ing more  furious  as  their  helplessness  is  realized,  —  and  at 
such  times  the  eyes  flame  with  the  green  and  red  fire  of 
hate  and  passion,  and  resemble  the  eyes  of  a  human  being 
possessed  with  rage  and  terror. 

The  bull  seals  have  been  called  "beach-masters," 
" polygamists,"  and  "harem-lords." 

These  old  bulls,  then,  are  the  first  to  return  to  the 
breeding-grounds  in  the  spring.  They  begin  to  "  haul  out  " 
upon  the  rocks  during  the  first  week  in  May.  Each  lo- 
cates upon  his  chosen  "  ground,"  and  awaits  the  arrival  of 
the  females,  which  does  not  occur  until  the  last  of  June. 
While  awaiting  their  arrival,  incessant  and  terrible  fight- 
ing takes  place  among  the  bulls,  frequently  to  the  death  — 
so  stubbornly  and  so  ferociously  does  each  struggle  to 
2e 


418  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

retain  the  place  he  has  selected  in  which  to  receive  the 
females  of  his  harem.  The  older  the  bull  the  more  suc- 
cessful is  he  both  in  love  and  in  war ;  and  woe  betide  any 
young  and  bold  bachelor  who  dares  to  pause  for  but  an 
instant  and  cast  tempting  glances  at  a  gay  and  coquettish 
young  favorite  under  an  old  bull's  protection.  There  is 
instant  battle  —  in  which  the  festive  bachelor  invariably 
goes  down. 

When  the  females  arrive,  a  very  orgy  of  fighting  takes 
place.  An  old  bull  swaggers  down  to  the  water,  receives 
a  graceful  and  beautiful  female,  and  beguiles  her  to  his 
harem.  If  he  but  turn  his  back  upon  her  for  an  instant 
another  bull  seizes  her  and  bears  her  bodily  to  his  harem ; 
the  first  bull  returns,  and  the  fight  is  on  —  the  female 
sometimes  being  torn  to  pieces  between  them,  because 
neither  will  give  her  up.  The  bulls  do  not  mind  a  small 
matter  like  that,  however,  there  being  so  many  females ; 
and  it  is  never  the  desire  for  a  special  female  that  impels 
to  the  fray,  but  the  human -like  lust  to  triumph  over  one 
who  dares  to  set  himself  up  as  a  rival. 

The  old  bulls  take  possession  of  the  lower  rocks,  and 
these  they  hold  from  all  comers,  yet  fighting,  figliting, 
fighting,  till  they  are  frequently  but  half-alive  masses  of 
torn  flesh  and  fur. 

The  bachelors  are  at  last  forced,  foot  by  foot,  past  the 
harems  to  the  higher  grounds,  where  they  herd  alone. 
As  they  are  supposed  to  be  the  only  seals  killed  for  their 
skin,  they  are  forced  by  the  drivers  away  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  rookeries,  to  the  higher  slopes. 

These  graceful  creatures  drag  themselves  on  shore  with 
pitiable  awkwardness  and  helplessness.  They  proceed 
painfully,  with  a  kind  of  rolling  movement,  uttering 
plaintive  sounds  that  are  neither  barks  nor  bleats.  They 
easily  become  heated  to  exhaustion,  and  pause  at  every 
opportunity  to  rest.     When  they  sink  down  for  this  pur- 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  419 

pose,  they  either  separate  their  hind  flippers,  or  draw 
them  both  to  one  side. 

They  are  driven  carefully  and  are  permitted  frequent 
rests,  as  heating  ruins  the  fur.  They  usually  rest  and 
cool  off,  after  reaching  the  killing  grounds,  while  the  men 
are  eating  breakfast.     By  seven  o'clock  the  butchery  begins. 

The  seals  are  still  brutally  clubbed  to  death.  The 
killers  are  spattered  with  blood  and  bloody  tufts  of  hair ; 
and  by-standers  are  said  to  have  been  horribly  pelted  by 
eyeballs  bursting  like  bullets  from  the  sockets,  at  the 
force  of  the  blows.  The  killers  aim  to  stun  at  the  first 
blow ;  but  the  poor  things  are  often  literally  beaten  to 
death.  In  either  event  a  sharp  stabbing-knife  is  in- 
stantly run  to  its  heart,  to  bleed  it.  The  crimson  life- 
stream  gushes  forth,  there  is  a  violent  quivering  of  the 
great,  jelly-like  bulk  ;  then,  all  is  still.  It  is  no  longer  a 
living,  beautiful,  pleading-eyed  animal,  but  only  a  portion 
of  some  dainty  gentlewoman's  cloak.  I  have  not  seen  it 
with  my  own  eyes,  but  I  have  heard,  in  ways  which  make 
me  refuse  to  discredit  it,  that  sometimes  the  skinning  is 
begun  before  the  seal  is  dead ;  that  sometimes  the  razor- 
like knife  is  run  down  the  belly  before  it  is  run  to  the 
heart  —  not  in  useless  cruelty,  but  because  of  the  great 
need  of  haste.  The  tender,  beseeching  eyes,  touching  cries, 
and  unavailing  attempts  to  escape,  of  the  seal  that  is  being 
clubbed  to  death,  are  things  to  remember  for  the  rest  of  one's 
life.  Strong  men,  unused  to  the  horrible  sight,  flee  from  it, 
sick  and  tortured  with  the  pity  of  it ;  and  surely  no  woman 
who  has  ever  beheld  it  could  be  tempted  to  buy  sealskin. 

No  effort  is  made  to  dispose  of  the  dead  bodies  of  the 
seals.  They  are  left  where  they  are  killed,  and  the  stench 
arising  therefrom  is  not  surpassed  even  in  Belkoffski.  It 
nauseates  the  white  inhabitants  of  the  islands,  and  drifts 
out  to  sea  for  miles  to  meet  and  salute  the  visitor.  It  is, 
however,  caviar  to  the  native  nostril. 


CHAPTER   XL 

Authorities  differ  as  to  the  proper  boundaries  of 
Bristol  Bay,  but  it  may  be  said  to  be  the  vast  indentation 
of  Behring  Sea  lying  east  of  a  line  drawn  from  Unimak 
Island  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kuskokwim  River  ;  or,  pos- 
sibly, from  Scotch  Cap  to  Cape  Newenham  would  be 
better.  The  commercial  salmon  fisheries  of  this  district 
are  on  the  Ugashik,  Egegak,  Naknek,  Kvichak,  Nushagak, 
and  Wood  rivers  and  the  sea-waters  leading  to  them. 

Nushagak  Bay  is  about  fifteen  miles  long  and  ten  wide. 
It  is  exceedingly  shallow,  and  is  obstructed  by  sand-bars 
and  shoals.  The  Redoubt- Alexandra  was  established  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  in  1834  by  Kolmakoff. 

The  rivers  are  all  large  and,  with  one  exception, — 
Wood  River,  —  drain  the  western  slope  of  the  Aleutian 
Chain  which,  beginning  on  the  western  shore  of  Cook 
Inlet,  extends  down  the  Aliaska  Peninsula,  crowning  it 
with  fire  and  snow. 

There  are  several  breaks  in  the  range  which  afford  easy 
portages  from  Bristol  Bay  to  the  North  Pacific.  The 
rivers  flowing  into  Bristol  Bay  have  lake  sources  and 
have  been  remarkably  rich  spawning-streams  for  salmon. 

The  present  chain  of  islands  known  as  the  Aleutians  is 
supposed  to  have  once  belonged  to  the  peninsula  and  to 
have  been  separated  by  volcanic  disturbances  which  are 
so  common  in  the  region. 

The  interior  of  the  Bristol  Bay  country  has  not  been 
explored.     It  is  sparsely  populated  by  Innuit,  or  Eskimo, 

420 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  421 

who  live  in  primitive  fashion  in  small  settlements,  —  usu- 
ally on  high  bluffs  near  a  river.  They  make  a  poor  living 
by  hunting  and  fishing.  Their  food  is  largely  salmon, 
fresh  and  dried ;  game,  seal,  and  walrus  are  delicacies. 
The  "higher"  the  food  the  greater  delicacy  is  it  con- 
sidered. Decayed  salmon-heads  and  the  decaying  carcass 
of  a  whale  that  has  been  cast  upon  the  beach,  by  their 
own  abominable  odors  summon  the  natives  for  miles  to  a 
feast.     Their  food  is  all  cooked  with  rancid  oil. 

Their  dwellings  are  more  primitive  than  those  of  the 
island  natives,  for  they  have  clung  to  the  barabaras  and 
other  ancient  structures  that  were  in  use  among  the 
Aleutians  when  the  Russians  first  discovered  them.  Near 
these  dwellings  are  the  drying-frames  —  so  familiar  along 
the  Yukon  —  from  which  hang  thousands  of  red-fieshed 
salmon  drying  in  the  sun.  Little  houses  are  erected  on 
rude  pole  scaffoldings,  high  out  of  the  reach  of  dogs,  for 
the  storing  of  this  fish  when  it  has  become  "  ukala  "  and 
for  other  provisions.  These  are  everywhere  known  as 
"  caches." 

The  Innuit's  summer  home  is  very  different  from  his 
winter  home.  It  is  erected  above  ground,  of  small  pole 
frames,  roofed  with  skins  and  open  in  front  —  somewhat 
like  an  Indian  tepee.  There  is  no  opening  in  the  roof, 
all  cooking  being  done  in  the  open  air  in  summer. 

Th©se  natives  were  once  thrifty  hunters  and  trappers 
of  wild  animals,  from  the  reindeer  down  to  the  beaver 
and  marten,  but  the  cannery  life  has  so  debauched  them 
that  they  have  no  strength  left  for  this  energetic  work. 

Formerly  every  Innuit  settlement  contained  a  "  kashga," 
or  town  hall,  which  was  built  after  the  fashion  of  all 
winter  houses,  only  larger.  There  the  men  gathered  to 
talk  and  manage  the  affairs  of  their  small  world.  It  was 
a  kind  of  "  corner  grocery  "  or  "  back-room  "  of  a  village 
drug  store.     The   men   usually  slept   there,   and    in    the 


422  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

mornings  their  wives  arose,  cooked  their  breakfast,  and 
carried  it  to  them  in  the  kashga,  turning  their  backs 
while  their  husbands  ate  —  it  being  considered  exceed- 
ingly bad  form  for  a  woman  to  h^ok  at  a  man  when  he  is 
eating  in  public,  although  they  think  nothing  of  bathing 
together.  The  habits  of  the  people  are  nauseatingly 
filthy,  and  the  interiors  of  their  dwellings  must  be  seen 
to  be  appreciated. 

Near  the  canneries  the  natives  obtain  work  during  the 
summer,  but  soon  squander  their  wages  in  debauches 
and  are  left,  when  winter  arrives,  in  a  starving  condition. 

The  season  is  very  short  in  Bristol  Bay,  but  the  "  run  " 
of  salmon  is  enormous.  When  this  district  is  operating 
thirteen  canneries,  it  packs  each  day  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  fish.  In  Nushagak  Bay  the  fish  frequently 
run  so  heavily  that  they  catch  in  the  propellers  of  launches 
and  stop  the  engines. 

Bristol  Bay  has  always  been  a  dangerous  locality  to 
navigate.  It  is  only  by  the  greatest  vigilance  and  the 
most  careful  use  of  the  lead,  upon  approaching  the  shore, 
that  disaster  can  be  averted. 

Nearly  all  the  canneries  in  this  region  are  operated  by 
the  Alaska  Packers  Association,  which  also  operates  the 
greater  number  of  canneries  in  Alaska. 

In  1907  the  value  of  food  fishes  taken  from  Alaskan 
waters  was  nearly  ten  millions  of  dollars  ;  in  the  forty 
years  since  the  purchase  of  that  country,  one  hundred 
millions,  although  up  to  1885  the  pack  was  insignificant. 
At  the  present  time  it  exceeds  by  more  than  half  a  million 
cases  the  entire  pack  of  British  Columbia,  Puget  Sound, 
Columbia  River,  and  the  Oregon  and  Washington  coasts. 

In  1907  forty-four  canneries  packed  salmon  in  Alaska, 
and  those  on  Bristol  Bay  were  of  the  most  importance. 

The  Nushagak  River  rivals  the  Karluk  as  a  salmon 
stream,  but  not  in  picturesque  beauty.     The    Nushagak 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  423 

and  Wood  rivers  were  both  closed  during  the  past  season 
by  order  of  the  President,  to  protect  the  salmon  industry 
of  the  future. 

Cod  is  abundant  in  Behring  Sea,  Bristol  Bay,  and  south 
of  the  Aleutian,  Shumagin,  and  Kadiak  islands,  covering 
an  area  of  thirty  thousand  miles.  Halibut  is  plentiful  in 
all  the  waters  of  southeastern  Alaska.  This  stupid-look- 
ing fish  is  wiser  than  it  appears,  and  declines  to  swim  into 
the  parlor  of  a  net.  It  is  still  caught  by  hook  and  line,  is 
packed  in  ice,  and  sent,  by  regular  steamer,  to  Seattle  — 
whence  it  goes  in  refrigerator  cars  to  the  markets  of  the 
east. 

Herring,  black  cod,  candle-fish,  smelt,  tom-cod,  white- 
fish,  black  bass,  flounders,  clams,  crabs,  mussels,  shrimp, 
and  five  species  of  trout — steelhead,  Dolly  Varden,  cut- 
throat, rainbow,  and  lake  —  are  all  found  in  abundance  in 
Alaska. 

Cook,  entering  Bristol  Bay  in  1778,  named  it  for  the 
Earl  of  Bristol,  with  difficulty  avoiding  its  shoals.  He 
saw  the  shoaled  entrance  to  a  river  which  he  called  Bristol 
River,  but  which  must  have  been  the  Nushagak.  He  saw 
many  salmon  leaping,  and  found  them  in  the  maws  of  cod. 

The  following  day,  seeing  a  high  promontory,  he  sent 
Lieutenant  Williamson  ashore.  Possession  of  the  country 
in  his  Majesty's  name  was  taken,  and  a  bottle  was  left 
containing  the  names  of  Cook's  ships  and  the  date  of  dis- 
covery. To  the  promontory  was  given  the  name  which  it 
retains  of  Cape  Newenham. 

Proceeding  up  the  coast  Cook  met  natives  who  were  of 
a  friendly  disposition,  but  who  seemed  unfamiliar  with 
the  sight  of  white  men  and  vessels  ;  they  were  dressed 
somewhat  like  Aleutians,  wearing,  also,  skin  hoods  and 
wooden  bonnets. 

The  ships  were  caught  in  the  shoals  of  Kuskokwim  Bay, 
but  Cook  does  not  appear  to  have  discovered  this  great 


424        ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

river,  which  is  the  second  in  size  of  Ahiskan  rivers  and 
whose  length  is  nine  hundred  miles.  In  the  bay  the  tides 
have  a  fifty-foot  rise  and  fall,  entering  in  a  tremendous 
bore.  This  vicinity  formerly  furnished  exceedingly  fine 
black  bear  skins. 

Cook's  surgeon  died  of  consumption  and  was  buried  on 
an  island  which  was  named  Anderson,  in  his  memory. 
Upon  an  island  about  four  leagues  in  circuit  a  rude  sledge 
was  found,  and  the  name  of  Sledge  Island  was  bestowed 
upon  it.  He  entered  Norton  Sound,  but  only  "suspected  " 
the  existence  of  a  mighty  river,  completely  missing  the 
Yukon. 

He  named  the  extreme  western  point  of  North  America, 
which  plunges  out  into  Behring  Sea,  almost  meeting  the 
East  Cape  of  Siberia,  Cape  Prince  of  Wales.  In  the 
centre  of  the  strait  are  the  two  Diomede  Islands,  between 
which  the  boundary  line  runs,  one  belonging  to  Russia, 
the  other  to  the  United  States. 

Cook  sailed  up  into  the  Frozen  Ocean  and  named  Icy 
Cape,  narrowly  missing  disaster  in  the  ice  pack.  There 
he  saw  many  herds  of  sea-horses,  or  walrus,  lying  upon 
the  ice  in  companies  numbering  many  hundreds.  They 
huddled  over  one  another  like  swine,  roaring  and  braying ; 
so  that  in  the  night  or  in  a  fog  they  gave  warning  of 
the  nearness  of  ice.  Some  members  of  the  herd  kept 
watch  ;  they  aroused  those  nearest  to  them  and  warned 
them  of  the  approach  of  enemies.  Those,  in  turn,  warned 
others,  and  so  the  word  was  passed  along  in  a  kind  of  ripple 
until  the  entire  herd  was  awake.  When  fired  upon,  they 
tumbled  one  over  another  into  the  sea,  in  the  utmost  confu- 
sion. The  female  defends  her  young  to  the  very  last,  and 
at  the  sacrifice  of  her  own  life,  if  necessary,  fighting  fero- 
ciously. 

The  walrus  does  not  in  the  least  resemble  a  horse,  and  it 
is  difficult  to  understand  whence  the  name  arose.     It  is 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  425 

somewhat  like  a  seal,  only  much  larger.  Those  found  by 
Cook  in  the  Arctic  were  from  nine  to  twelve  feet  in  length 
and  weighed  about  a  thousand  pounds.  Their  tusks  have 
always  been  valuable,  and  have  greatly  increased  in  value 
of  recent  years,  as  the  walrus  diminish  in  number. 

Cook  named  Cape  Denbigh  and  Cape  Darby  on  either 
side  of  Norton  Bay  ;  and  Besborough  Island  south  of  Cape 
Denbigh. 

Going  ashore,  he  encountered  a  family  of  natives  which 
he  and  Captain  King  describe  in  such  wise  that  no  one, 
having  read  the  description,  can  ever  enter  Norton  Sound 
without  recalling  it.  The  family  consisted  of  a  man,  his 
wife,  and  a  child  ;  and  a  fourth  person  who  bore  the  human 
shape,  and  that  was  all,  for  he  was  the  most  horribly,  the 
most  pitiably,  deformed  cripple  ever  seen,  heard  of,  or  im- 
agined. The  husband  was  blind  ;  and  all  were  extremely 
unpleasant  in  appearance.     The  underlips  were  bored. 

These  natives  would  have  evidently  sold  their  souls 
for  iron.  For  four  knives  made  out  of  old  iron  hoop, 
they  traded  four  hundred  pounds  of  fish  —  and  Cook 
must  have  lost  his  conscience  overboard  with  his  anchor  in 
Kuskokwim  Bay.     He  recovered  the  anchor  ! 

He  gave  the  girl-child  a  few  beads,  "  whereupon  the 
mother  burst  into  tears,  then  the  father,  then  the  cripple, 
and,  at  last,  the  girl  herself." 

Many  different  passages,  or  sentences,  have  been  called 
"the  most  pathetic  ever  written";  but,  myself,  I  confess 
that  I  have  never  been  so  powerfully  or  so  lastingly  moved 
by  any  sentence  as  I  was  when  I  first  read  that  one  of 
Cook's.  Almost  equalling  it,  however,  in  pathos  is  the 
simple  account  of  Captain  King's  of  his  meeting  with  the 
same  family.  He  was  on  shore  with  a  party  obtaining 
wood  when  these  people  approached  in  a  canoe.  He  beck- 
oned to  them  to  land,  and  the  husband  and  wife  came 
ashore.    He  gave  the  woman  a  knife,  saying  that  he  would 


426       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

give  her  a  larger  one  for  some  fish.  She  made  signs  for 
him  to  follow  them. 

"I  had  proceeded  with  them  about  a  mile,  when  the 
man,  in  crossing  a  stony  beach,  fell  down  and  cut  his  foot 
very  much.  This  made  me  stop,  upon  which^the  woman 
pointed  to  the  man's  eyes,  which,  I  observed,  were  covered 
with  a  thick,  white  film.  He  afterward  kept  close  to  his 
wife,  who  apprised  him  of  the  obstacles  in  his  way.  The 
woman  had  a  little  child  on  her  back,  covered  with  a 
hood,  and  which  I  took  for  a  bundle  until  I  heard  it 
cry.  At  about  two  miles  distant  we  came  upon  their  open 
skin-boat,  which  was  'turned  on  its  side,  the  convex 
part  toward  the  wind,  and  served  for  their  house.  I  was 
now  made  to  perform  a  singular  operation  upon  the  man's 
eyes.  First,  I  was  directed  to  hold  my  breath  ;  afterward, 
to  breathe  on  the  diseased  eyes  ;  and  next,  to  spit  on  them. 
The  woman  then  took  both  my  hands  and,  pressing  them 
to  his  stomach,  held  them  there  while  she  related  some 
calamitous  history  of  her  family,  pointing  sometimes  to 
her  husband,  sometimes  to  a  frightful  cripple  belonging 
to  the  family,  and  sometimes  to  her  child." 

Berries,  birch,  willow,  alders,  broom,  and  spruce  were 
found.     Beer  was  brewed  of  the  spruce. 

Cook  now  sailed  past  that  divinely  beautiful  shore  upon 
which  St.  Michael's  is  situated,  and  named  Stuart  Island 
and  Cape  Stephens,  but  did  not  hear  the  Yukon  calling 
him.  He  did  find  shoal  water,  very  much  discolored  and 
muddy,  and  "inferred  that  a  considerable  river  runs  into 
the  sea."  If  he  had  only  guessed  how  considerable  ! 
Passing  south,  he  named  Clerk's,  Gore's,  and  Pinnacle 
Islands,  and  returned  to  Unalaska. 


CHAPTER   XLI 

A  FAMOIJS  engineering  feat  was  the  building  of  the 
White  Pass  and  Yukon  Railway  from  Skaguay  to  White 
Horse.  Work  was  commenced  on  this  road  in  May,  1898, 
and  finished  in  January,  1900. 

Its  completion  opened  the  interior  of  Alaska  and  the 
Klondike  to  the  world,  and  brought  enduring  fame  to 
Mr.  M.  J.  Heney,  the  builder,  and  Mr.  E.  C.  Hawkins, 
the  engineer. 

In  1897  Mr.  Heney  went  North  to  look  for  a  pass 
through  the  Coast  Range.  Up  to  that  time  travel  to  the 
Klondike  had  been  about  equally  divided  between  the 
Dyea,  Skaguay,  and  Jack  Dal  ton  trails  ;  the  route  by  way 
of  the  Stikine  and  Hootalinqua  rivers  ;  and  the  one  to 
St.  Michael's  by  ocean  steamers  and  thence  up  the  Yu- 
kon by  small  and,  at  that  time,  inferior  steamers. 

Mr.  Heney  and  his  engineers  at  once  grasped  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  "Skaguay  Trail."  This  pass  was  first 
explored  and  surveyed  by  Captain  Moore,  of  Mr.  Ogil- 
vie's  survey  of  June,  1887,  who  named  it  White  Pass, 
for  Honorable  Thomas  White,  Canadian  Minister  of  the 
Interior.  It  could  not  have  been  more  appropriately 
named,  even  though  named  for  a  man,  as  there  is  never 
a  day  in  the  warmest  weather  that  snow-peaks  are  not 
in  view  to  the  traveller  over  this  pass  ;  while  from  Sep- 
tember to  June  the  trains  wind  through  sparkling  and 
unbroken  whiteness. 

Mr.  Heney,  coming  out  to  finance  the  road,  faced  serious 

427 


428  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

difficulties  and  discouragements  in  America.  Owing  to 
the  enormous  cost  of  this  short  piece  of  road,  as  planned, 
as  well  as  the  dai'ing  nature  of  its  conception,  the  bold- 
est financiers  of  tliis  country,  upon  investigation,  declined 
to  entertain  the  proposition. 

Mr.  Heney  was  a  young  man  who,  up  to  that  time, 
although  possessed  of  great  ability,  had  made  no  marked 
success  —  his  opportunity  not  having  as  yet  presented 
itself. 

Recovering  from  his  first  disappointment,  he  undaunt- 
edly voyaged  to  England,  where  some  of  the  most  conserva- 
tive capitalists,  moved  and  convinced  by  his  enthusiasm 
and  his  clear  descriptions  of  the  northern  country  and  its 
future,  freely  financed  the  railroad  whose  successful  build- 
ing was  to  become  one  of  the  most  brilliant  achievements 
of  the  century. 

They  were  entirely  unacquainted  with  Mr.  Heney,  and 
after  this  proof  of  confidence  in  him  and  his  project,  the 
word  "  fail "  dropped  out  of  the  English  language,  so  far 
as  the  intrepid  young  builder  was  concerned. 

"  After  that,"  he  said,  "  I  coiild  not  fail." 

He  returned  and  work  was  at  once  begun.  A  man  big 
of  body,  mind,  and  heart,  he  was  specially  fitted  for  the 
perilous  and  daring  work.  Calm,  low-voiced,  compelling 
in  repressed  power  and  unswerving  courage  and  will,  he 
was  a  harder  worker  than  any  of  his  men. 

Associated  with  him  was  a  man  equally  large  and  equally 
gifted.  Mr.  Hawkins  is  one  of  the  most  famous  engineers 
of  this  country,  if  not  of  any  country. 

The  difficult  miles  that  these  two  men  tramped;  the 
long,  long  hours  of  each  day  that  they  worked;  the  hard- 
ships that  they  endured,  unflinching  ;  the  appalling  ob- 
stacles that  they  overcame  —  are  a  part  of  Alaskan 
history. 

The  first  twenty  miles  of  this  road  from  Skaguay  cost 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  429 

two  millions  of  dollars  ;  the  average  cost  to  the  summit 
was  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  mile,  and  now  and  then 
a  single  mile  cost  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

The  road  is  built  on  mountainsides  so  precipitous  that 
men  were  suspended  from  the  heights  above  by  ropes,  to 
prevent  disaster  while  cutting  grades.  At  one  point  a 
cliff  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high,  .eighty  feet  deep, 
and  twenty  feet  in  width  was  Wasted  entirely  away  for 
the  road-bed. 

Thirty-five  hundred  men  in  all  were  employed  in  con- 
structing the  road,  but  thirty  of  whom  died,  of  accident 
and  disease,  during  the  construction.  Taking  into  con- 
sideration the  perilous  nature  of  the  work,  the  rigors  of 
the  winter  climate,  and  the  fact  that  work  did  not  cease 
during  the  worst  weather,  this  is  a  remarkably  small  pro- 
portion. 

A  force  of  finer  men  never  built  a  railroad.  Many  were 
prospectors,  eager  to  work  their  way  into  the  land  of  gold ; 
others  were  graduates  of  eastern  colleges ;  all  were  self- 
respecting,  energetic  men. 

Skaguay  is  a  thousand  miles  from  Seattle;  and  from  the 
latter  city  and  Vancouver,  men,  supplies,  and  all  materials 
were  shipped.  This  was  not  one  of  the  least  of  the  hin- 
drances to  a  rapid  completion  of  the  road.  Rich  strikes 
were  common  occurrences  at  that  time.  In  one  day,  after 
the  report  of  a  new  discovery  in  the  Atlin  country  had 
reached  headquarters,  fifteen  hundred  men  drew  their 
pay  and  stampeded  for  the  new  gold  fields. 

But  all  obstacles  to  the  building  of  the  road  were  sur- 
mounted. Within  eighteen  months  from  the  date  of  be- 
ginning work  it  was  completed  to  White  Horse,  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  eleven  miles,  and  trains  were  running 
regularly. 

A  legend  tells  us  that  an  old  Indian  chief  saw  the  canoe 


430       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

of  his  son  upset  in  the  waves  lashed  by  the  terrific  winds 
that  blow  down  between  the  mountains.  The  lad  was 
drowned  before  the  helpless  father's  eyes,  and  in  his  sor- 
row the  old  cliief  named  the  place  Shkag-ua,  or  "  Home  of 
the  North  Wind."  It  has  been  abbreviated  to  Skaguay ; 
and  has  been  even  further  disfigured  by  a  w.,  in  place  of 
the  u. 

Between  salt  water  and  the  foot  of  White  Pass  Trail, 
two  miles  up  the  canyon,  in  the  winter  of  1897-1898,  ten 
thousand  men  were  camped.  Some  were  trying  to  get 
their  outfits  packed  over  the  trail;  others  were  impatiently 
waiting  for  the  completion  of  the  wagon  road  which  George 
A.  Brackett  was  building.  This  road  was  completed 
almost  to  the  summit  when  the  railroad  overtook  it  and 
bought  its  right  of  way.  It  is  not  ten  years  old ;  yet  it 
is  always  called  "the  old  Brackett  road." 

At  half-past  nine  of  a  July  morning  our  train  left 
Skaguay  for  White  Horse.  We  traversed  the  entire 
length  of  the  town  before  entering  the  canyon.  There 
are  low,  brown  fiats  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  which  spreads 
over  them  in  shallow  streams  fringed  with  alders  and 
cottonwoods. 

Above,  on  both  sides,  rose  the  gray,  stony  cliffs.  Here 
and  there  were  wooded  slopes  ;  others  were  rosy  with  fire- 
weed  that  moved  softly,  like  clouds. 

We  soon  passed  the  ruined  bridge  of  the  Brackett  road , 
the  water  brawling  noisily,  gray-white,  over  the  stones. 

Our  train  was  a  long  one  drawn  by  four  engines.  There 
were  a  baggage-car,  two  passenger-cars,  and  twenty  flat 
and  freight  cars  loaded  with  boilers,  machinery,  cattle, 
chickens,  merchandise,  and  food-stuffs  of  all  kinds. 

After  crossing  Skaguay  River  the  train  turns  back, 
climbing  rapidly,  and  Skaguay  and  Lynn  Canal  are  seen 
shiningin  the  distance.  .  .  .  We  turn  again.  The  river 
foams  between  mountains  of  stone,  hundreds  of  feet  below 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  431 

—  SO  far  below  that  the  trees  growing  sparsely  along  its 
banks  seera  as  the  tiniest  shrubs. 

The  Brackett  road  winds  along  the  bed  of  the  river, 
while  the  old  White  Pass,  or  Heartbreak,  Trail  climbs  and 
falls  along  the  stone  and  crumbling  shale  of  the  opposite 
mountain  —  in  many  places  rising  to  an  altitude  of  several 
hundred  feet,  in  others  sinking  to  a  level  with  the  river. 

The  Brackett  road  ends  at  White  Pass  City,  where,  ten 
years  ago,  was  the  largest  tent-city  in  the  world ;  and  where 
now  are  only  the  crumbling  ruins  of  a  couple  of  log  cabins, 
silence,  and  loneliness. 

At  White  Pass  City  that  was,  the  old  Trail  of  Heartbreak 
leads  up  the  canyon  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Skaguay,  di- 
rectly away  from  the  railroad.  The  latter  makes  a  loop  of 
many  miles  and  returns  to  the  canyon  hundreds  of  feet 
above  its  bed.  The  scenery  is  of  constantly  increasing 
grandeur.  Cascades,  snow-peaks,  glaciers,  and  overhang- 
ing cliffs  of  stone  make  the  way  one  of  austere  beauty.  In 
two  hours  and  a  half  we  climb  leisurely,  with  frequent 
stops,  from  the  level  of  the  sea  to  the  summit  of  the  pass ; 
and  although  skirting  peaks  from  five  to  eight  thousand 
feet  in  height,  we  pass  through  only  one  short  tunnel. 

It  is  a  thrilling  experience.  The  rocking  train  clings  to 
the  leaning  wall  of  solid  stone.  A  gulf  of  purple  ether 
sinks  sheer  on  the  other  side  —  so  sheer,  so  deep,  that  one 
dare  not  look  too  long  or  too  intently  into  its  depth. 
Hundreds  of  feet  below,  the  river  roars  through  its  narrow 
banks,  and  in  many  places  the  train  overhangs  it.  In 
others,  solid  rock  cliffs  jut  out  boldly  over  the  train. 

After  passing  through  the  tunnel,  the  train  creeps 
across  the  steel  cantilever  bridge  which  seems  to  have  been 
flung,  as  a  spider  flings  his  glistening  threads,  from  cliff  to 
cliff,  two  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  above  the  river,  foaming 
white  over  the  immense  boulders  that  here  barricade  its 
headlons:  race  to  the  sea. 


432  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Beautiful  and  impressive  though  this  trip  is  in  the  green 
time  and  the  bh^om  time  of  the  year,  it  remains  for  the 
winter  to  make  it  sublime. 

The  mountains  are  covered  deeply  with  snow,  which 
drifts  to  a  tremendous  depth  in  canyons  and  cuts. 
Through  these  drifts  the  powerful  rotary  snow-plough 
cleaves  a  white  and  glistening  tunnel,  along  which  the 
train  slowly  makes  its  way.  The  fascinating  element  of 
momentary  peril  —  of  snow-slides  burying  the  train  — 
enters  into  the  winter  trip. 

Near  Clifton  one  looks  down  upon  an  immense  block  of 
stone,  the  size  of  a  house  but  perfectly  flat,  beneath  Avhich 
three  men  were  buried  by  a  blast  during  the  building  of 
the  road.  The  stone  is  covered  with  grass  and  flowers 
and  is  marked  with  a  white  cross. 

At  the  summit,  twenty  miles  from  Skaguay,  is  a  red 
station  named  White  Pass.  A  monument  marks  the 
boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Yukon  Terri- 
tory. The  American  flag  floats  on  one  side,  the  Canadian 
on  the  other.  A  cone  of  rocks  on  the  crest  of  the  hill 
leading  away  from  the  sea  marks  the  direction  the  boun- 
dary takes. 

The  White  Pass  Railway  has  an  average  grade  of  three 
per  cent,  and  it  ascends  with  gradual,  splendid  sweeps 
around  mountainsides  and  projecting  cliffs. 

The  old  trail  is  frequently  called  "Dead  Horse  Trail." 
Thousands  of  horses  and  mules  were  employed  by  the 
stampeders.  The  poor  beasts  were  overloaded,  over- 
worked, and,  in  many  instances,  treated  with  unspeakable 
cruelty.  It  was  one  of  the  shames  of  the  century,  and 
no  humane  person  can  ever  remember  it  without  horror. 

At  one  time  in  1897  more  than  five  thousand  dead 
horses  were  counted  on  the  trail.  Some  had  lost  their 
footing  and  were  dashed  to  death  on  the  rocks  below  ; 
others  had  sunken  under  their  cruel  burdens  in  utter  ex- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  433 

* 
haustion  ;   others   had   been    shot  ;  and   still   others   had 
been  brutally  abandoned  and  had  slowly  starved  to  death. 

"  What  became  of  the  horses,"  I  asked  an  old  stampeder, 
"  when  you  reached  Lake  Bennett?     Did  you  sell  them  ?" 

"Lord,  no,  ma'am,"  returned  he,  politely;  "there 
wa'n't  nothing  left  of  'em  to  sell.  You  see,  they  was 
dead." 

"  But  I  mean  the  ones  that  did  not  die." 

"  There  wa'n't  any  of  that  kind,  ma'am." 

"  Do  you  mean,"  I  asked,  in  dismay,  "  that  they  all 
died  ?  —  that  none  survived  that  awful  experience  ?  " 

"That's  about  it,  ma'am.  When  we  got  to  Lake  Ben- 
nett there  wa'n't  any  more  use  for  horses.  Nobody  was 
goin'  the  other  way  —  and  if  they  had  been,  the  horses 
that  reached  Lake  Bennett  wa'n't  fit  to  stand  alone,  let 
alone  pack.  The  ones  that  wa'n't  shot,  died  of  starvation. 
Yes,  ma'am,  it  made  a  man's  soul  sick." 

Boundary  lines  are  interesting  in  all  parts  of  the 
world;  but  the  one  at  the  summit  of  the  White  Pass 
is  of  unusual  historic  interest.  Side  by  side  float  the 
flags  of  America  and  Canada.  They  are  about  twenty 
yards  from  the  little  station,  and  every  passenger  left 
the  train  and  walked  to  them,  solely  to  experience  a 
big  patriotic  American,  or  Canadian,  thrill  ;  to  strut, 
glow,  and  walk  back  to  the  train  again.  Myself,  I  gave 
thanks  to  God,  silently  and  alone,  that  those  two  flags 
were  floating  side  by  side  there  on  that  mountain,  beside 
the  little  sapphire  lake,  instead  of  at  the  head  of  Chil- 
koot  Inlet. 

There  are  Canadian  and  United  States  inspectors  of 
customs  at  the  summit  ;  also  a  railway  agent.  Their 
families  live  there  with  them,  and  there  is  no  one  else 
and  nothing  else,  save  the  little  sapphire  lake  lying  in 
the  bare  hills. 
2f 


434  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Its  blue  waves  lipped  tlie  porch  whereon  sat  the  young, 
sweet-faced  wife  of  the  Canadian  inspector,  with  her  baby 
in  its  carriage  at  her  side. 

This  bit  of  liquid  sapphire,  scarcely  larger  than  an  arti- 
ficial pond  in  a  park,  is  really  one  of  the  chief  sources  of 
the  Yukon  —  which,  had  these  clear  waters  turned  tow- 
ard Lynn  Canal,  instead  of  away  from  it,  might  have 
never  been.  It  seems  so  marvellous.  The  merest  breath, 
in  the  beginning,  might  have  toppled  their  liquid  bulk 
over  into  the  canyon  through  which  we  had  so  slowly  and 
so  enchantingly  mounted,  and  in  an  hour  or  two  they 
might  have  forced  their  foaming,  furious  way  to  the  ocean. 
But  some  power  turned  the  blue  waters  to  the  north  and 
set  them  singing  down  through  the  beautiful  chain  of 
lakes  —  Lindeman,  Bennett,  Tagish,  Marsh,  Labarge  — 
winding,  widening,  past  ramparts  and  mountains,  through 
canyons  and  plains,  to  Behring  Sea,  twenty-three  hun- 
dred miles  from  this  lonely  spot. 

This  beginning  of  the  Yukon  is  called  the  Lewes  River. 
Far  away,  in  the  Felly  Mountains,  the  Felly  River  rises 
and  flows  down  to  its  confluence  with  the  Lewes  at  old 
Fort  Selkirk,  and  the  Yukon  is  born  of  their  union. 

The  Lewes  has  many  tributaries,  the  most  important 
of  which  is  the  Hootalinqua  —  or,  as  the  Indians  named 
it,  Teslin  —  having  its  source  in  Teslin  Lake,  near  the 
source  of  the  Stikine  River. 

After  leaving  the  summit  the  railway  follows  the  shores 
of  the  river  and  the  lakes,  and  the  way  is  one  of  loveliness 
rather  than  grandeur.  The  saltish  atmosphere  is  left  behind, 
and  the  air  tings  with  the  sweetness  of  mountain  and  lake. 

We  had  eaten  an  early  breakfast,  and  we  did  not  reach 
an  eating  station  until  we  arrived  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Bennett  at  half  after  one  o'clock;  and  then  we  were 
given  fifteen  minutes  in  which  to  eat  our  lunch  and  get 
back  to  the  train. 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  435 

I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  been  so  hungry  in  my  life  — 
and  fifteen  minutes!  The  dining  room  was  clean  and 
attractive ;  two  long,  narrow  tables,  or  counters,  extended 
the  entire  length  of  the  room.  They  were  decorated  with 
great  bouquets  of  wild  flowers  ;  the  sweet  air  from  the 
lake  blew  in  through  open  windows  and  shook  the  white 
curtains  out  into  the  room. 

The  tables  were  provided  with  good  food,  all  ready  to 
be  eaten.  There  were  ham  sandwiches  made  of  lean  ham. 
It  was  not  edged  with  fat  and  embittered  with  mustard  ;  it 
must  have  been  baked,  too,  because  no  boiled  ham  could  be  so 
sweet.  There  were  big  brown  lima  beans,  also  baked,  not 
boiled,  and  dill-pickles  —  no  insipid  pin-moneys,  but  good, 
sour,  delicious  dills  !  There  were  salads,  home-made  bread, 
"  salt-rising  "  bread  and  butter,  cakes  and  cookies  and 
fruit  —  and  huckleberry  pie.  Blueberries,  they  are  called 
in  Alaska,  but  they  are  our  own  mountain  huckleberries. 

No  twelve-course  luncheon,  with  a  different  wine  for 
each  course,  could  impress  itself  upon  my  memory  as  did 
that  lunch-counter  meal.  We  ate  as  children  eat;  with 
their  pure,  animal  enjoyment  and  satisfaction.  For  fifteen 
minutes  we  had  not  a  desire  in  the  world  save  to  gratify 
our  appetites  with  plain,  wholesome  food.  There  was  no 
crowding,  no  selfishness  and  rudeness,  —  as  there  had  been 
in  that  wild  scene  on  the  excursion-boat,  where  the  struggle 
had  been  for  place  rather  than  for  food, —  but  a  polite  con- 
sideration for  one  another.  And  outside  the  sun  shone, 
the  blue  waves  sparkled  and  rippled  along  the  shore,  and 
their  music  came  in  through  the  open  windows. 

Here,  in  1897,  was  a  city  of  tents.  Several  thousand 
men  and  women  camped  here,  waiting  for  the  completion 
of  boats  and  rafts  to  convey  themselves  and  their  outfits 
down  the  lakes  and  the  river  to  the  golden  land  of  their 
dreams. 

Standing  between  cars,  clinging  to  a  rattling  brake,  I 


43G  ALASKA  :     THE    GllEAT    COUNTRY 

made  the  acquaintance  of  Cyanide  Bill,  and  he  told  me 
about  it. 

"Tents!"  said  he.  "Did  you  say  tents?  Hunh ! 
Why,  lady,  tents  was  as  thick  here  in  '97  and  '98  as  seeds 
on  a  strawberry.  They  was  so  thick  it  took  a  man  an 
hour  to  find  his  own.  Hunh  !  You  tripped  up  every 
other  step  on  a  tent-peg.  I  guess  nobody  knows  anything 
about  tents  unless  he  was  mushin'  around  Lake  Bennett  in 
the  summer  of  '97.  From  five  to  ten  thousand  men  and 
women  was  camped  here  off  an'  on.  Fresh  ones  by  the 
hundred  come  strugglin',  sweatin',  dyin',  in  over  the 
trail  every  day,  and  every  day  hundreds  got  their  rafts 
finished,  bundled  their  things  and  theirselves  on  to  'em. 
and  went  tearin'  and  yellin'  down  the  lake,  gloatin'  over 
the  poor  tired-out  wretches  that  just  got  in-  Often  as 
not  they  come  sneakin'  back  afoot  without  any  raft  and 
without  any  outfit  and  worked  their  way  back  to  the 
states  to  get  another.  Them  that  went  slow,  went  sure, 
and  got  in  ahead  of  the  rushers. 

"I  wisht  you  could  of  seen  the  tent  town! — young 
fellows  right  out  of  college  flauntin'  around  as  if  they  knew 
somethin' ;  old  men,  stooped  and  gray-headed ;  gamblers, 
tin  horns,  cut-throats,  and  thieves  ;  honest  women,  workin' 
their  way  in  with  their  husbands  or  sons,  their  noses  bent 
to  the  earth,  with  heavy  packs  on  their  backs,  like  men  ; 
and  ga}',  painted  dance-hall  girls,  sailin'  past  'em  on  horse- 
back and  dressed  to  kill  and  livin'  on  the  fat  of  the  land. 
I  bet  more  good  women  went  to  the  bad  on  this  here  lay- 
out than  you  could  shake  a  stick  at.  It  seemed  to  get 
on  to  their  nerves  to  struggle  along,  week  after  week, 
packin'  like  animals,  sufferin'  like  dogs,  et  up  by  mosqui- 
toes and  gnats,  pushed  and  crowded  out  by  men  —  and 
then  to  see  them  gay  girls  go  singin'  b}^  livin'  on  luxu- 
ries, men  fallin'  all  over  theirselves  to  wait  on  'em, 
champagne  to  drink  — it  sure  did  get  on  to  their  nerves! 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  437 

"  You  see,  somehow,  up  here,  in  them  days,  things  didn't 
seem  the  way  they  do  down  below.  Nature  kind  of  gets 
in  her  work  ahead  of  custom  up  here.  Wrong  don't  look 
so  terrible  different  from  right  to  a  woman  a  thousand 
miles  from  civilization.  When  she  sees  women  all  around 
her  walkin'  on  flowers,  and  her  own  feet  blistered  and 
bleedin'  on  stones  and  thorns,  she's  pretty  apt  to  ask  her- 
self whether  bein'  good  and  workin'  like  a  horse  pays. 
And  up  here  on  the  trail  in  '97  the  minute  a  woman  begun 
to  ask  herself  that  question,  it  was  all  up  with  her.  The 
end  was  in  plain  sight,  like  the  nose  on  a  man's  face.  The 
dance  hall  on  in  Dawson  answered  the  question  practical. 

"  Of  course,  lots  of  'em  went  in  straight  and  stayed 
straight  ;  and  they're  the  ones  that  made  Dawson  and 
saved  Dawson.  You  get  a  handful  of  good  women  located 
in  a  minin'-camp  and  you  can  build  up  a  town,  and  you 
can't  do  it  before,  mounted  police  or  no  mounted  police." 

I  had  heard  these  hard  truths  of  the  Trail  of  Heartbreak 
before  ;  but  having  been  worded  more  vaguely,  they  had 
not  impressed  me  as  they  did  now,  spoken  with  the  plain, 
honest  directness  of  the  old  trail  days. 

"  If  you  want  straight  facts  about  '97,"  the  collector  had 
said  to  me,  "  I'll  introduce  you  to  Cyanide  Bill,  out  there. 
He  was  all  through  here  time  and  again.  He  will  tell  you 
everything  you  want  to  know.  But  be  careful  what  you 
ask  him  ;  he'll  answer  anything  —  and  he  doesn't  talk 
parlor." 

"  The  hardships  such  women  went  through,"  continued 
Cyanide  Bill,  "  the  insults  and  humiliations  they  faced  and 
lived  down,  ought  to  of  set  'em  on  a  pe-c?es-tal  when  all  was 
said  and  done  and  decency  had  the  upper  hand.  The 
time  come  when  the  other'ns  got  their  come-upin's  ;  when 
they  found  out  whether  it  paid  to  live  straight. 

"  The  world'll  never  see  such  a  rush  for  gold  again," 
went  on  Cyanide  Bill,  after  a  pause.     "  I  tell  you  it  takes 


438  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

a  lot  to  make  any  impress  on  me,  I've  been  toughenin'  up 
in  this  country  so  many  years  ;  but  when  I  arrives  and 
sees  the  orgy  goin'  on  along  this  trail,  my  heart  up  and 
stood  still  a  spell.  The  strong  ones  was  all  a-trompin'  the 
weak  ones  down.  The  weak  ones  went  down  and  out, 
and  the  strong  ones  never  looked  behind.  Men  just  went 
crazy.  Men  that  had  always  been  kind-hearted  went 
plumb  locoed  and  'u'd  trample  down  their  best  friend,  to 
get  ahead  of  him.  They  got  just  like  brutes  and  didn't 
know  their  own  selves.  It's  no  wonder  the  best  women 
give  up.     Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  Lady  Belle  ?  " 

I  remembered  Lady  Belle,  probably  because  of  the  name, 
but  I  had  never  heard  the  details  of  her  tragic  story,  and 
I  frankly  confessed  that  I  would  like  to  hear  them  — 
"  parlor  "  language  or  "  trail,"  it  mattered  not. 

"  Well,"  —  he  half  closed  his  eyes  and  stared  down  the 
blue  lake,  —  "  she  come  along  this  trail  the  first  of  July, 
the  prettiest  woman  you  ever  laid  eyes  on.  Her  husband 
was  witli  her.  He  seemed  to  be  kind  to  her  at  first,  but 
the  horrors  of  the  trail  worked  on  him,  and  he  went  kind 
of  locoed.  He  took  to  abusin'  her  and  blamin'  her  for 
everything.  She  worked  like  a  dog  and  he  treated  her 
about  like  one  ;  bat  she  never  lost  her  beauty  nor  her 
sweetness.  She  had  the  sweetest  smile  I  ever  saw  on 
any  human  bein's  face ;  and  she  was  the  only  one  that 
thought  about  others. 

" '  Don't  crowd  ! '  she  used  to  cry,  with  that  smile  of 
her'n.     'We're  all  havin'  a  hard  time  together.' 

"  Well,  they  lost  their  outfit  in  White  Horse  Rapids  ; 
her  husband  cursed  her  and  said  it  wouldn't  of  happened 
if  she  hadn't  been  hell-bent  to  come  along  ;  he  took  to 
drinkin'  and  up  and  left  her  there  at  the  rapids.  He 
went  back  to  the  states,  sayin'  he  didn't  ever  want  to  see 
her  again. 

"  She  was  left  there  without  an  ounce  of  grub  or  a  cent 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  439 

of  money.  Yakataga  Pete  had  been  workin'  along  the 
trail  with  a  big  outfit,  and  had  gone  on  in  ahead.  He'd 
fell  in  love  with  her  before  he  knew  she  was  married. 
He  went  on  up  into  the  cricks,  and  when  he  come  down 
to  Dawson  six  months  later,  she  was  in  a  dance  hall. 
Dawson  was  wild  about  her.  They  called  her  Lady 
Belle  because  she  was  always  such  a  lady. 

"Yakataga  went  straight  to  her  and  asked  her  to  marry 
him.  She  burst  out  into  the  most  terrible  cryin'  you  ever 
hear.  '  As  if  I  could  ever  marry  anybody  ! '  she  cries 
out  ;  and  that's  all  the  answer  he  ever  got.  We  found 
out  she  had  a  little  blind  sister  down  in  the  states.  She 
had  to  send  money  to  keep  her  in  a  blind  school.  She 
danced  and  acted  cheerful  ;  but  her  face  was  as  white  as 
chalk,  and  her  big  dark  eyes  looked  like  a  fawn's  eyes 
when  you've  shot  it  and  not  quite  killed  it,  so's  it  can't 
get  away  from  you,  nor  die,  nor  anything  ;  but  she  was 
always  just  as  sweet  as  ever. 

"  Two  months  after  that  she  —  she  —  killed  herself. 
Yakataga  was  up  in  the  cricks.  He  come  down  and 
buried  her." 

It  was  told,  the  simple  and  tragic  tale  of  Lady  Belle, 
and  presently  Cyanide  Bill  went  away  and  left  me. 

The  breeze  grew  cooler  ;  it  crested  the  waves  with 
silver.  Pearly  clouds  floated  slowly  overhead  and  were 
reflected  in  the  depths  below. 

The  mountains  surrounding  Lake  Bennett  are  of  an 
unusual  color.  It  is  a  soft  old-rose  in  the  distance.  The 
color  is  not  caused  by  light  and  shade ;  nor  by  the  sun ; 
nor  by  flowers.  It  is  the  color  of  the  mountains  them- 
selves. They  are  said  to  be  almost  solid  mountains  of 
iron,  which  gives  them  their  name  of  "  Iron-Crowned,"  I 
believe  ;  but  to  me  they  will  always  be  the  Rose-colored 
Mountains.  They  soften  and  enrich  the  sparkling,  al- 
most dazzling,  blue  atmosphere,  and  give  the  horizon  a 


440  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

look  of  sunset  even  at  midday.  The  color  reminded  me 
of  the  dull  old-rose  of  Columbia  Glacier. 

Lake  Bennett  dashes  its  foam-crested  blue  waves  along 
the  pebbly  beaches  and  stone  terraces  for  a  distance  of 
twenty-seven  miles.  At  its  widest  it  is  not  more  than 
two  miles,  and  it  narrows  in  places  to  less  than  half  a 
mile.     It  winds  and  curves  like  a  river. 

The  railway  runs  along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake, 
and  mountains  slope  abruptly  from  the  opposite  shore 
to  a  height  of  five  thousand  feet.  The  scenery  is  never 
monotonous.  It  charms  constantly,  and  the  air  keeps  the 
traveller  as  fresh  and  sparkling  in  spirit  as  champagne. 

For  many  miles  a  solid  road-bed,  four  or  five  feet 
above  the  water,  is  hewn  out  of  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  the  terrace  from  the  railway  to  the  water  is  a 
solid  blaze  of  bloom  ;  white  sails,  blown  full,  drift  up 
and  down  the  blue  water  avenue  ;  cloud-fragments  move 
silently  over  the  nearer  rose-colored  mountains  ;  while  in 
the  distance,  in  every  direction  that  the  eye  may  turn,  the 
enchanted  traveller  is  saluted  by  some  lonely  and  beauti- 
ful peak  of  snow.     It  is  an  exquisitely  lovely  lake. 

We  had  passed  Lake  Lindeman  —  named  by  Lieutenant 
Schwatka  for  Dr.  Lindeman  of  the  Breman  Geographical 
Society  —  before  reaching  Bennett. 

Lake  Lindeman  is  a  clear  and  lovely  lake  seven  miles 
long,  half  a  mile  wide,  and  of  a  good  depth  for  any  navi- 
gation required  here.  A  mountain  stream  pours  tumul- 
tuously  into  it,  adding  to  its  picturesque  beauty. 

Sea  birds  haunt  these  lakes,  drift  on  to  the  Yukon,  and 
follow  the  voyager  until  they  meet  their  silvery  fellows 
coming  up  from  Behring  Sea. 

Between  Lakes  Lindeman  and  Bennett  the  river  con- 
necting link  is  only  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  about 
thirty  yards  wide,  and  only  two  or  three  feet  deep.  It  is 
filled  with  shoals,  rapids,  cascades,  boulders,  and  bars  ; 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  441 

and  navigation  is  rendered  so  difficult  and  so  dangerous 
that  in  the  okl  '■'■  raft  "  days  outfits  were  usually  portaged 
to  Lake  Bennett. 

During  the  rush  to  the  Klondike  a  saw-mill  was  estab- 
lished at  the  head  of  Lake  Bennett,  and  lumber  for  boat 
building  was  sold  for  one  hundred  dollars  a  thousand 
feet. 

The  air  in  these  lake  valleys  on  a  warm  da}^  is  indescrib- 
ably soft  and  balmy.  It  is  scented  with  pine,  balm,  Cot- 
tonwood, and  flowers.  The  lower  slopes  are  covered  with 
fireweed,  lark-spur,  dandelions,  monk's-hood,  purple  as- 
ters, marguerites,  wild  roses,  dwarf  goldenrod,  and  many 
other  varieties  of  wild  flowers.  The  fireweed  is  of  special 
beauty.  Its  blooms  are  larger  and  of  a  richer  red  than 
along  the  coast.  Blooms  covering  acres  of  hillside  seem 
to  float  like  a  rosy  mist  suspended  in  the  atmosphere. 
The  grasses  are  also  very  beautiful,  some  having  the  rich, 
changeable  tints  of  a  humming-bird. 

The  short  stream  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  in  width 
connecting  Lake  Bennett  with  the  next  lake  —  a  very 
small,  but  pretty  one  which  Schwatka  named  Nares  — 
was  called  by  the  natives  "  the  place  where  the  caribou 
cross,"  and  now  bears  the  name  of  Caribou  Crossing.  At 
certain  seasons  the  caribou  were  supposed  to  cross  this 
part  of  the  river  in  vast  herds  on  their  way  to  different 
feeding-grounds,  the  current  being  very  shallow  at  this 
point. 

There  is  a  small  settlement  here  now,  and  boats  were 
waiting  to  carry  passengers  to  the  Atlin  mining  district. 
The  caribou  have  now  found  less  populous  territories  in 
which  to  range.  In  the  winter  of  1907-1908  they  ranged 
in  droves  of  many  thousands  —  some  reports  said  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  —  through  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the 
Stewart,  Klondike,  and  Sixty-Mile  rivers,  in  the  Upper 
Yukon  country. 


442  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Miners  killed  them  by  the  hundreds,  dressed  them,  and 
stored  them  in  the  shafts  and  tunnels  of  their  mines, 
down  in  the  eternally  frozen  caverns  of  the  earth  —  thus 
supplying  themselves  with  the  most  delicious  meat  for  a 
year.  The  trek  of  caribou  from  the  Xanana  River  valley 
to  the  head  of  White  River  consumed  more  than  ninety 
days  in  passing  the  head  of  the  Forty-Mile  valley  —  at 
least  a  thousand  a  day  passing  during  that  period.  They 
covered  from  one  to  five  miles  in  width,  and  trod  the 
snow  down  as  solidly  as  it  is  trodden  in  a  city  street.  A 
great  wolf-pack  clung  to  the  flank  of  the  herd.  The 
wolves  easily  cut  out  the  weak  or  tired-out  caribou  and 
devoured  them. 

Caribou  Crossing  is  a  lonely  and  desolate  cluster  of 
tents  and  cabins  huddling  in  the  sand  on  the  water's  edge. 
Considerable  business  is  transacted  here,  and  many  pas- 
sengers transfer  here  in  summer  to  Atlin.  In  winter  they 
leave  the  train  at  Log-Cabin,  which  we  passed  during  the 
forenoon,  and  make  the  journey  overland  in  sleighs. 

The  voyage  from  Caribou  Crossing  to  Atlin  is  by  way 
of  a  chain  of  blue  lakes,  pearled  by  snow  mountains.  It 
is  a  popular  round-trip  tourist  trip,  which  may  be  taken 
with  but  little  extra  expense  from  Skaguay. 

Tagish  Lake,  as  it  was  named  by  Dr.  Dawson,  —  the 
distinguished  British  explorer  and  chief  director  of  the 
natural  history  and  geological  survey  of  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  —  was  also  known  as  Bove  Lake.  Ten  miles  from 
its  head  it  is  joined  by  Taku  Arm  —  Talik-o  Lake,  it  was 
called  by  Schwatka. 

The  shores  of  Tagish  Lake  are  terraced  beautifully  to 
the  water,  the  terraces  rising  evenly  one  above  another. 
They  were  probably  formed  by  the  regular  movement  of 
ice  in  other  ages,  when  the  waters  in  these  valleys  were 
deeper  and  wider.     There  are   some  striking   points    of 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  443 

limestone  in  this  vicinity,  their  pearl-white  shoulders 
gleaming  brilliantly  in  the  sunshine,  with  sparkling  blue 
waves  dashing  against  them. 

Marsh  Lake,  and  another  with  a  name  so  distasteful  that 
I  will  not  write  it,  are  further  links  in  the  brilliant  sapphire 
water  chain  by  which  the  courageous  voyagers  of  the 
Heartbreak  days  used  to  drift  hopefully,  yet  fearfully, 
down  to  the  Klondike.  The  bed  of  a  lake  which  was  un- 
intentionally drained  completely  dry  by  the  builders  of 
the  railroad  is  passed  just  before  reaching  Grand  Canyon. 

The  train  pauses  at  the  canyon  and  again  at  White 
Horse  Rapids,  to  give  passengers  a  glimpse  of  these  famed 
and  dreaded  places  of  navigation  of  a  decade  ago. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  day  we  left  Skaguay 
we  reached  White  Horse. 


CHAPTER   XLII 

This  is  a  new,  clean,  wooden  town,  the  first  of  any  im- 
portance in  Yukon  Territory.  It  has  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred inhabitants,  is  the  terminus  of  the  railroad,  and  is 
growing  rapidly.  Tlie  town  is  on  the  banks  of  Lewes 
River,  or,  as  they  call  it  here,  the  Yukon. 

There  is  an  air  of  tidiness,  order,  and  thrift  about  this 
town  which  is  never  found  in  a  frontier  town  in  "the 
states."  There  are  no  old  newspapers  huddled  into  gutters, 
nor  blowing  up  and  down  the  street.  Men  do  not  stand 
on  corners  with  their  hands  in  their  pockets,  or  whit- 
tling out  toothpicks,  and  waiting  for  a  railroad  to  be  built 
or  a  mine  to  be  discovered.  They  walk  the  streets  with 
the  manner  of  men  who  have  work  to  do  and  who  feel 
that  life  is  worth  while,  even  on  the  outposts  of  civiliza- 
tion. 

All  passengers,  freight,  and  supplies  for  the  interior 
now  pass  through  White  Horse.  The  river  bank  is  lined 
with  vast  warehouses  which,  by  the  time  the  river  opens 
in  June,  are  piled  to  the  roofs  with  freight.  The  ship- 
ments of  heavy  machinery  are  large.  From  the  river  one 
can  see  little  besides  these  warehouses,  the  shipyards  to 
the  south,  and  the  hills. 

Passing  through  the  depot  one  is  confronted  by 
the  largest  hotel,  the  White  Pass,  directly  across  the 
street.  To  this  we  walked  ;  and  from  an  upstairs 
window  had  a  good  view  of  the  town.  The  streets  are 
wide  and  level;    the   whole   town  site  is  as   level   as   a 

444 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  445 

parade-ground.  The  buildings  are  frame  and  log ; 
merchandise  is  fair  in  quality  and  style,  and  in  price, 
high.  Mounted  police  strut  stiffly  and  importantly  up 
and  down  the  streets  to  and  from  their  picturesque  log 
barracks.  One  unconsciously  holds  one's  chin  level  and 
one's  shoulders  high  the  instant  one  enters  a  Yukon 
town.     It  is  in  the  air. 

Excellent  grounds  are  provided  for  all  outdoor  sports  ; 
and  in  the  evening  every  man  one  meets  has  a  tennis 
racket  or  a  golf  stick  in  his  hand,  and  on  his  face  that 
look  of  enthusiastic  anticipation  which  is  seen  only  on  a 
British  sportsman's  face.  No  American,  however  enthu- 
siastic or  "  keen "  he  may  be  on  outdoor  sports,  ever 
quite  gets  that  look. 

There  was  no  key  to  our  door.  Furthermore,  the  door 
would  not  even  close  securely,  but  remained  a  few  hair 
breadths  ajar.  There  was  no  bell  ;  but  on  our  way  down 
to  dinner,  having  left  some  valuables  in  our  room,  we  re- 
ported the  matter  to  a  porter  whom  we  met  in  the  hall, 
and  asked  him  to  lock  our  door. 

"  It  doesn't  lock,"  he  replied  politely.  "  It  doesn't 
even  latch,  and  the  key  is  lost." 

Observing  our  amazed  faces,  he  added,  smiling  :  — 

"  You  don't  need  it,  ladies.  You  will  be  as  safe  as 
you  would  be  at  home.  We  never  lock  doors  in  White 
Horse." 

This  was  my  first  Yukon  shock,  but  not  my  last.  My 
faith  in  mounted  police  has  always  been  strong,  but  it 
went  down  before  that  unlocked  door. 

"Possibly  the  people  of  White  Horse  never  take  what 
does  not  belong  to  them,"  I  said  ;  "  but  a  hundred 
strangers  came  in  on  that  train.  Might  not  one  be 
afflicted  with  kleptomania  ?  " 

"  He  wouldn't  steal  here,"  said  the  boy,  confidently. 
"Nobody  ever  does." 


446  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

There  seemed  to  be  nothing  more  to  say.  We  left  our 
door  ajar  and,  with  lingering  backward  glances,  went 
down  to  the  dining  room. 

Never  sliall  I  forget  that  dinner.  It  was  as  bad  as  our 
lunch  had  been  good.  The  room  was  hot  ;  the  table-cloth 
was  far  from  being  immaculate  ;  the  waitress  was  untidy 
and  ill-bred  ;  and  there  was  nothing  that  we  could  eat. 

Nor  were  we  fastidious.  We  neither  expected,  nor  de- 
sired, luxuries  ;  we  asked  only  well-cooked,  clean,  whole- 
some food  ;  but  if  this  is  to  be  obtained  in  White  Horse, 
we  found  it  not  —  although  we  did  not  cease  trying  while 
we  were  there. 

We  went  out  and  walked  the  clean  streets  and  looked 
into  restaurants,  and  tried  to  see  something  good  to  eat, 
or  at  least  a  clean  table-cloth  ;  but  in  the  end  we  went 
hungry  to  bed.  We  had  wine  and  graham  wafers  in  our 
bags,  and  they  consoled  ;  but  we  craved  something  sub- 
stantial, notwithstanding  our  hearty  lunch.  It  was  the 
air  —  the  light,  fresh,  sparkling  air  of  mountain,  river, 
and  lake  —  that  gave  us  our  appetites. 

When  we  had  walked  until  our  feet  could  no  longer 
support  us,  we  returned  to  the  hotel.  On  the  way,  we 
saw  a  sign  announcing  ice-cream  soda.  We  went  in  and 
asked  for  some,  but  the  ice-cream  was  "all  out." 

"  But  we  have  plain  soda,"  said  the  man,  looking  so 
wistful  that  we  at  once  decided  to  have  some,  although 
we  both  detested  it. 

He  fizzed  it  elaborately  into  two  very  small  glasses  and 
led  us  back  into  a  little  dark  room,  where  were  chairs  and 
tables,  and  he  gave  us  spoons  with  which  to  eat  our  plain 
soda.  "Let  me  pay,"  said  ray  friend,  airily;  and  she  put 
ten  cents  on  the  table. 

The  man  looked  at  it  and  grinned.  He  did  not  smile  ; 
he  grinned.     Then  he  went  away  and  left  it  lying  there. 

We  tried  to  drink  the  soda-water  ;    then  we  tried  to 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  447 

coax  it  through  straws  ;  finally  we  tried  to  eat  it  with 
spoons  —  as  others  about  us  were  doing;  but  we  could 
not.  It  looked  like  soap-bubbles  and  it  tasted  like  soap- 
bubbles. 

"  He  didn't  see  his  ten  cents,"  said  my  friend,  gather- 
ing it  up.  "I  suppose  one  pays  at  the  counter  out  there. 
I  would  cheerfully  pay  him  an  extra  ten  if  I  had  not 
gotten  the  taste  of  the  abominable  stuff  in  my  mouth." 

She  laid  the  ten  cents  on  the  counter  grudgingly. 

The  man  looked  at  it  and  grinned  again. 

"  Them  things  don't  go  here,"  said  he.  "  It's  fifty 
cents." 

There  was  a  silence.  I  found  my  handkerchief  and 
laughed  into  it,  wishing  I  had  taken  a  second  glass. 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  she,  slowly  and  sweetly,  as  a  half- 
dollar  slid  lingering  down  her  fingers  to  the  counter. 
"For  the  spoons.     They  were  worth  it." 

It  was  two  o'clock  before  we  could  leave  our  windows 
that  night.  It  was  not  dark,  not  even  dusk.  A  kind  of 
blue-white  light  lay  over  the  town  and  valley,  deepening 
toward  the  hills.  In  the  air  was  that  delicious  quality 
which  charms  the  senses  like  perfumes.  Only  to  breathe 
it  in  was  a  drowsy,  languorous  jo3^  At  White  Horse  one 
opens  the  magic,  invisible  gate  and  passes  into  the  en- 
chanted land  of  Forgetfulness — and  the  gate  swings  shut 
behind  one. 

Home  and  friends  seem  far  away.  If  every  soul  that 
one  loves  were  at  death's  door,  one  could  not  get  home  in 
time  to  say  farewell  —  so  why  not  banish  care  and  enjoy 
each  hour  as  it  comes  ? 

This  is  the  same  reckless  spirit  which,  greatly  inten- 
sified, possessed  desperate  men  when  they  went  to  the 
Klondike  ten  years  ago.  There  was  no  telegraph,  then, 
and  mails  were  carried  in  only  once  or  twice  a  year. 
Letters  were  lost.     Men  did  not  hear  from  their  wives. 


448  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and,  discouniged  and  disheartened,  decided  that  the 
women  had  died  or  had  forgotten;  so  they  went  the  way 
of  the  country,  and  it  often  came  to  pass  that  Heartbreak 
Trail  led  to  the  Land  of  Heartbreak. 

In  the  morning  we  learned  that  the  boat  for  Dawson 
was  not  yet  "  in,"  and,  even  if  it  should  arrive  during  the 
day,  —  which  seemed  to  be  as  uncertain  as  the  opening  of 
the  river  in  spring,  —  would  not  leave  until  some  time 
during  the  night;  so  at  nine  o'clock  we  took  the  Skaguay 
train  for  the  Grand  Canyon. 

One  "•  oldest "  resident  of  White  Horse  told  us  that  it 
was  only  a  mile  to  the  canyon ;  another  oldest  one,  that 
it  was  four  miles ;  still  another,  that  it  was  five ;  all 
agreed  that  we  should  take  the  train  out  and  walk  back. 

"  There's  a  tram,"  they  told  us,  "  an  old,  abandoned 
tram,  and  you  can't  get  lost.  You've  only  to  follow  the 
tram.  Why,  a  goose  couldn't  get  lost.  Norman  McCau- 
ley  built  the  tram,  and  outfits  were  portaged  around  the 
canyon  and  the  rapids  two  seasons  ;  then  the  railroad 
come  in  and  the  tram  went  out  of  business. " 

We  took  our  bundles  of  mosquito  netting  and  boarded 
the  train.  In  summer  the  travel  is  all  "  in,"  and  we  were 
the  only  passengers.  When  the  White  Pass  Railway  Com- 
pany was  organized,  stock  was  worth  ten  dollars  a  share ; 
now  it  is  worth  six  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  it  is  not 
for  sale.  Freight  rates  are  five  cents  a  pound,  one  hun- 
dred dollars  a  ton,  or  fifty  in  car-load  lots,  from  Skaguay  to 
White  Horse.  Passenger  rates  are  supposed  to  be  twenty 
cents  a  mile.  We  paid  seventy-five  cents  to  return  to  the 
canyon  which  we  passed  the  previous  day.  This  rate 
should  make  the  distance  four  miles,  and  we  barely  had 
time  to  arrange  our  mosquito  veils,  according  to  the  in- 
structions of  the  conductor,  when  the  train  stopped. 

We  were  told  that  we  might  not  see  a  mosquito ;  and 
again,  that  we  might  not  be  able  to  see  anything  else. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  449 

We  were  put  off  and  left  standing  ankle-deep  in  sand,  on 
the  brink  of  a  precipice,  four  miles  from  any  human  being 
—  in  the  wilds  of  Alaska.  At  that  moment  the  trainmen 
looked  like  old  and  dear  friends. 

"  The  path  down  is  right  in  front  of  you,"  the  collector 
called,  as  the  train  started.  "  Don't  be  afraid  of  the 
bears !  They  will  not  harm  you  at  this  time  of  the 
year." 

Bears ! 

We  had  considered  heat,  mosquitoes,  losing  our  way, 
hunger,  exhaustion,  —  everything,  it  appeared,  except 
bears.     We  looked  at  one  another. 

"I  had  not  thought  of  bears." 

"Nor  had  I." 

We  looked  down  at  the  bushes  growing  along  the 
canyon;  little  heat-worms  glimmered  in  the  still  atmos- 
phere. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  an  Alaskan  joke,"  I  suggested  feebly. 

We  stood  for  some  time  trying  to  decide  whether  we 
should  make  the  descent  or  return  to  White  Horse,  when 
suddenly  the  matter  Avas  decided  for  us.  I  was  standing 
on  the  brink  of  the  sandy  precipice,  down  which  a  path 
went,  almost  perpendicularly,  without  bend  or  pause,  to 
the  bank  of  the  river  several  hundred  yards  below. 

The  sandy  soil  upon  which  I  stood  suddenly  caved  and 
went  down  into  the  path.  I  went  with  it.  I  landed 
several  yards  below  the  brink,  gave  one  cry,  and  then  — 
by  no  will  of  my  own  —  was  off  for  the  canyon. 

The  caving  of  the  brink  had  started  a  sand  and  gravel 
slide  ;  and  I,  knee-deep  in  it,  was  going  down  with  it  — 
slowly,  but  oh,  most  surely.  There  was  no  pausing,  no 
looking  back.  I  could  hear  my  companion  calling  to  me 
to  "stop";  to  "wait";  to  "be  careful"  — and  all  her 
entreaties  were  the  bitterest  irony  by  the  time  they  floated 
down  to  me.  So  long  as  the  slide  did  not  stop,  it  was 
2g 


450       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

useless  to  tell  me  to  do  so ;  for  I  was  embedded  in  it  half- 
way to  my  waist.  We  kept  going,  slowly  and  hesitat- 
ingly ;   but  never  slowly  enough  for  me  to  get  out. 

It  was  eighty  in  the  shade,  and  the  sand  was  hot.  I 
was  wearing  a  white  waist,  a  dark  blue  cheviot  skirt,  and 
patent-leather  shoes;  and  my  appearance,  when  I  finally, 
reached  level  ground  and  cool  alder  trees,  may  be  im- 
agined. Furthermore,  our  trunks  had  been  bonded  to 
Dawson,  and  I  had  no  extra  skirts  or  shoes  with  me. 

My  companion,  profiting  by  my  misfortune,  had  armed 
herself  with  an  alpenstock  and  was  "  tacking  "  down  the 
slope.     It  was  half  an  hour  before  she  arrived. 

I  have  never  forgiven  her  for  the  way  she  laughed. 

We  soon  forgot  the  bears  in  the  beauty  of  the  scene 
before  us.  We  even  forgot  the  comedy  of  my  unwilling 
descent. 

The  Lewes  River  gradually  narrows  from  a  width  of 
three  or  four  hundred  yards  to  one  of  about  fifty  yards  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  which  it  enters  in  a  great 
bore. 

The  walls  of  the  canyon  are  perpendicular  columns  and 
palisades  of  basalt.  They  rise  without  bend  to  a  height 
of  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet,  and  then,  set  thickly 
with  dark  and  gloomy  spruce  trees,  slope  gradually  into 
mountains  of  considerable  height.  The  canyon  is  five- 
eighths  of  a  mile  long,  and  in  that  interval  the  water  drops 
thirty  feet.  Halfway  through,  it  widens  abruptly  into  a 
round  water  chamber,  or  basin,  where  the  waters  boil  and 
seethe  in  dangerous  whirlpools  and  eddies.  Then  it  again 
narrows,  and  the  waters  rush  wildly  and  tumultuously 
through  walls  of  dark  stone,  veined  with  gray  and  lav- 
ender. The  current  runs  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  and  rafts 
"  shooting  "  the  rapids  are  hurled  violently  from  side  to 
side,  pushed  on  end,  spun  round  in  whirlpools,  buried  for 
seconds   in  boiling    foam,  and    at   last  are  shot  through 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  451 

the  final  narrow  avenue  like  spears  from  a  catapult  —  only 
to  plunge  madly  on  to  the  more  dangerous  White  Horse 
Rapids. 

The  waves  dash  to  a  height  of  four  or  five  feet  and 
break  into  vast  sheets  of  spray  and  foam.  Their  roar,  flung 
back  by  the  stone  walls,  may  be  heard  for  a  long  dis- 
tance ;  and  that  of  the  rapids  drifts  over  the  streets  of 
White  Horse  like  distant,  continuous  thunder,  when  all 
else  is  still. 

We  found  a  difficult  way  by  which,  with  the  assistance 
of  alpenstocks  and  overhanging  tree  branches,  we  could 
slide  down  to  the  very  water,  just  above  Whirlpool  Basin. 
We  stood  there  long,  thinking  of  the  tragedies  that  had 
been  enacted  in  that  short  and  lonely  stretch  ;  of  the  lost 
outfits,  the  worn  and  wounded  bodies,  the  spirits  sore ;  of 
the  hearts  that  had  gone  through,  beating  high  and  strong 
with  hope,  and  that  had  returned  broken.  It  is  almost 
as  poignantly  interesting  as  the  old  trail ;  and  not  for  two 
generations,  at  least,  will  the  perils  of  those  days  be 
forgotten. 

It  was  about  noon  that,  remembering  our  long  walk,  we 
turned  reluctantly  and  set  out  for  White  Horse. 

Somewhere  back  of  the  basin  we  lost  our  way.  We 
could  not  find  the  "  tram  "  ;  searching  for  it,  we  got  into 
a  swamp  and  could  not  make  our  way  back  to  the  river  ; 
and  suddenly  the  mosquitoes  were  upon  us. 

The  underbrush  was  so  thick  that  our  netting  was  torn 
into  shreds  and  left  in  festoons  and  tatters  upon  every 
bush;  yet  I  still  bear  in  my  memory  the  vision  of  my 
friend  floating  like  a  tall,  blond  bride  —  for  my  dark- 
haired  Scotch  friend  was  not  with  me  on  the  Yukon  voyage 
—  through  the  shadows  of  that  swamp  before  her  bridal 
veil  went  to  pieces. 

Her  bridal  glory  was  grief.  In  a  few  moments  we  were 
both  as  black  as  negroes  with  mosquitoes  ;   for,  desperately 


452       ALASKA:    TUE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

though  we  fought,  we  could  not  drive  them  away.  The 
air  in  the  swamp  was  heavy  and  still ;  our  progress  was 
unspeakably  difficult  —  through  mire  and  tall,  lash  grasses 
which,  in  any  other  country  on  earth,  would  have  been 
alive  with  snakes  and  crawling  things. 

The  pests  bit  and  stung  our  faces,  necks,  shoulders,  and 
arms  ;  they  even  swarmed  about  our  ankles  ;  while,  for 
our  hands —  they  were  soon  swollen  to  twice  their  original 
size. 

We  wept  ;  we  prayed  ;  w^e  said  evil  things  in  the  hear- 
ing of  heaven  ;  we  asked  God  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  or, 
at  the  very  least,  to  punish  us  for  them  in  some  other 
way  ;  but  I,  at  least,  in  the  heaviest  of  my  afflictions,  did 
not  forget  to  thank  Him  because  there  are  no  snakes  in 
Alaska  or  the  Yukon.  It  seemed  to  me,  even,  in  the 
fervor  of  my  gratitude,  that  it  had  all  been  planned  seons 
ago  for  our  special  benefit  in  this  extreme  hour. 

But  I  shall  spare  the  reader  a  further  description  of 
our  sufferings. 

I  had  always  considered  the  Alaskan  mosquito  a  joke. 
I  did  not  know  that  they  torture  men  and  beasts  to  a 
terrible  death.  They  mount  in  a  black  mist  from  the 
grass;  it  is  impossible  for  one  to  keep  one's  eyes  open. 
Dogs,  bears,  and  strong  men  have  been  known  to  die  of 
pain  and  nervous  exhaustion  under  their  attacks. 

After  an  hour  of  torture  we  forced  our  way  through  the 
network  of  underbrush  back  to  the  river,  and  soon  found 
a  narrow  path.  There  was  a  slight  breeze,  and  the  mos- 
quitoes were  not  so  aggressive.  There  Avas  still  a  three- 
mile  walk,  along  the  shore  bordering  the  rapids,  before 
we  could  rest ;  and  during  the  last  mile  each  step  caused 
such  agony  that  we  almost  crawled. 

When  we  removed  our  shoes,  we  found  them  full  of 
blood.  Our  feet  were  blistered  ;  the  blisters  had  broken 
and  blistered  asfain. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  453 

But  we  had  seen  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Yukon  — 
which  Schwatka  in  an  evil  hour  named  Miles,  for  the 
distinguished  army-general  —  and  White  Horse  Rapids; 
and  seeing  them  was  worth  the  blisters  and  the  blood. 
And  we  know  how  far  it  is  from  the  head  of  the  canyon 
to  White  Horse  town.  No  matter  what  the  three  "  oldest  " 
settlers,  the  railway  folders,  Schwatka,  and  all  the  others 
say,  —  we  know.  It  is  fifteen  miles  !  Also,  among  those 
who  scoff  at  Rex  Beach  for  having  the  villain  in  his  last 
novel  eaten  up  by  mosquitoes  on  the  Yukon,  we  are  not 
to  be  included. 

Numerous  and  valuable  copper  mines  lie  within  a  ra- 
dius of  fifteen  miles  from  White  Horse.  The  more  impor- 
tant ones  are  those  of  the  Pennsylvania  syndicate.  The  B. 
N.  White  Company,  The  Arctic  Chief,  The  Grafter,  the 
Anaconda,  and  the  Best  Chance.  The  Puebla,  operated 
by  B.  N.  White,  lies  four  miles  northwest  of  town.  It 
makes  a  rich  showing  of  raagnatite,  carrying  copper  values 
averaging  four  and  five  per  cent,  with  a  small  by-product 
of  gold  and  silver. 

In  the  summer  of  1907  this  mine  had  in  sight  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  tons  of  pay  ore.  The  deepest 
development  then  obtained  had  a  hundred-foot  surface 
showing  three  hundred  feet  in  width,  and  stripped  along 
with  the  strike  of  the  vein  seven  hundred  feet,  showing 
a  solid,  unbroken  mass  of  ore.  Tunnels  and  cross-cuts 
driven  from  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  showed  the  body  to 
be  the  same  width  and  the  values  the  same  as  the  surface 
outcrop. 

The  Arctic  Chief  ranks  second  in  importance  ;  and 
extensive  development  work  is  being  carried  on  at  all 
the  mines.  The  railway  is  building  out  into  the  mining 
district. 

Six-horse  stages  are  run  from  White  Horse  to  Dawson 


454  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

after  the  river  closes.  The  distance  is  four  hundred  and 
thirty-live  miles  ;  the  fare  in  the  early  autumn  and  late 
spring  is  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  ;  in  winter, 
when  sleighing  is  good,  sixty  dollars. 

White  Horse  was  first  named  Closeleigh  by  the  railway 
company ;  but  the  name  was  not  popular.  At  one  place 
in  the  rapids  the  waves  curving  over  rocks  somewhat 
resemble  a  white  horse,  with  wildly  floating  mane  and 
tail  of  foam.     This  is  said  to  be  the  origin  of  the  name. 

White  Horse  is  only  eight  years  old.  The  hotel  accom- 
modations, if  one  does  not  mind  a  little  thing  like  not 
being  able  to  eat,  are  good.  The  rooms  are  clean  and 
comfortable  and  filled  with  sweet  mountain  and  river  air. 

At  eight  o'clock  that  evening  the  steamer  Dawson 
struggled  up  the  river  and  landed  within  fifty  yards  of 
the  hotel.  We  immediately  went  aboard  ;  but  it  was 
nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  before  we  started,  so  we 
had  another  night  in  White  Horse. 

The  Yukon  steamers  are  four  stories  high,  with  a  place 
for  a  roof  garden.  I  could  do  nothing  for  some  time  but 
regard  the  Daivson  in  silent  wonder.  It  seemed  to  glide 
along  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  like  a  smooth,  flat  stone 
when  it  is  "  skipped." 

The  lower  deck  is  within  a  few  inches  of  the  water  ; 
and  high  above  is  the  pilot-house,  with  its  lonely-looking 
captain  and  pilot  ;  and  high,  oh,  very  high,  above  them  — 
like  a  charred  monarch  of  a  Puget  Sound  forest  —  rises  the 
black  smoke-stack,  from  which  issue  such  vast  funnels  of 
smoke  and  such  slow  and  tremendous  breathing. 

This  breathing  is  a  sound  that  haunts  every  memory  of 
the  Yukon.  It  is  not  easy  to  describe,  it  is  so  slow  and 
so  powerful.  It  is  not  quite  like  a  cough —  unless  one 
could  cough  in  instead  of  out ;  it  is  more  like  a  sobbing, 
shivering  in-drawing  of  the  breath  of  some  mighty  animal. 
It  echoes  from  point  to  point,  and   may   be   heard   for 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  455 

several  miles  on  a  still  day.  Day  and  night  it  moves 
through  the  upper  air,  and  floats  on  ahead,  often  echoing 
so  insistently  around  some  point  which  the  steamer  has 
not  turned,  that  the  "  cheechaco "  is  deluded  into  the 
belief  that  another  steamer  is  approaching. 

The  captains  and  pilots  of  the  Yukon  are  the  loneliest- 
looking  men!  First  of  all,  they  are  so  far  away  from 
everybod}'-  else  ;  and  second,  passengers,  particularly 
women,  are  not  permitted  to  be  in  the  pilot-house,  nor  on 
the  texas,  nor  even  on  the  hurricane-deck,  of  steamers 
passing  through  Yukon  Territory. 

Between  White  Horse  and  Lake  Lebarge  the  river  is 
about  two  hundred  yards  wide.  The  water  is  smooth  and 
deep.  It  loiters  along  the  shore,  but  the  current  is  strong 
and  bears  the  steamer  down  with  a  rush,  compelling  it  to 
zigzag  ceaselessly  from  shore  to  shore. 

Going  down  the  Yukon  for  the  first  time,  one's  heart 
stands  still  nearly  half  the  time.  The  steamer  heads 
straight  for  one  shore,  approaches  it  so  closely  that  its 
bow  is  within  six  inches  of  it,  and  then  swings  powerfully 
and  starts  for  the  opposite  shore  —  its  great  stern  wheel 
barely  clearing  the  rocky  wall. 

The  serious  vexations  and  real  dangers  of  navigation 
in  this  great  river,  from  source  to  mouth,  are  the  sand  and 
gravel  bars.  One  may  go  down  the  Yukon  from  White 
Horse  to  St.  Michael  in  fourteen  days  ;  and  one  may  be  a 
month  on  the  way  —  pausing,  by  no  will  of  his  own,  on 
various  sand-bars. 

The  treacherous  current  changes  hourly.  It  is  seldom 
found  twice  the  same.  It  washes  the  sand  from  side  to 
side,  or  heaps  it  up  in  the  middle  —  creating  new  channels 
and  new  dangers.  The  pilot  can  only  be  cautious,  un- 
tiringly watchful  —  and  lucky.  The  rest  he  must  leave 
to  heaven. 

It  is  twenty-seven  miles  from  White  Horse  to  Lake 


456  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Lebarge.  Midway,  the  Tahkeena  River  flows  into  the 
Lewes,  running  through  banks  of  clay. 

Lake  Lebarge  is  thirty-two  miles  long  and  three  and  a 
half  wide.  The  day  was  suave.  The  water  was  silvery 
blue,  and  as  smooth  as  satin;  gray,  deeply  veined  cliffs  were 
reflected  in  the  water,  whose  surface  was  not  disturbed 
by  a  ripple  or  wave  ;  the  air  was  soft ;  farther  down  the 
river  were  forest  fires,  and  just  sufficient  haze  floated 
back  to  give  the  milky  old-rose  lights  of  the  opal  to  the 
atmosphere.  There  is  one  small  island  in  the  lake.  It 
was  not  named  ;  and  it  received  the  name  —  as  Vancouver 
would  say  —  of  Fireweed  Isle,  because  it  floated  like  a 
rosy  cloud  on  the  pale  blue  water. 

The  Indians  called  this  lake  Kluk-tas-si,  and  Schwatka 
favored  retaining  it  ;  but  the  French  name  has  endured, 
and  it  is  not  bad. 

The  Lake  Lebarge  grayling  and  whitefish  are  justly 
famed.  Steamers  stop  at  some  lone  fisherman's  landing 
and  take  them  down  to  Dawson,  where  they  find  ready 
sale.  At  Lower  Lebarge  there  is  a  post-office  and  a 
telegraph  station.  Our  steamer  paused ;  two  men  came 
out  in  a  boat,  delivered  a  large  supply  of  fish,  received  a 
few  parcels  of  mail,  and  went  swinging  back  across  the 
water. 

A  dreary  log-cabin  stood  on  the  bank,  labelled  "  Clark's 
Place."  A  woman  in  a  scarlet  dress,  walking  through 
the  reeds  beside  the  beach,  made  a  bit  of  vivid  color.  It 
seemed  very,  very  lonely  —  with  that  kind  of  loneliness 
that  is  unendurable. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  farther,  around  a  bend  in  the  shore, 
the  boat  landed  at  the  telegraph  station,  where  the  Cana- 
dian flag  was  flying. 

The  different  reaches  of  the  Yukon  are  called  locally 
by  very  confusing  names.  The  river  rising  in  Summit 
Lake  on  the  White  Pass  railway  is  called  both  Lewes  and 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  457 

Yukon ;  the  stretch  immediately  below  Lake  Lebarge  is 
called  Lewes,  Thirty-Mile,  and  Yukon.  When  we  reach 
the  old  Hudson  Bay  post  of  Selkirk,  however,  our  per- 
plexities over  this  matter  are  at  an  end.  The  Pelly  River 
here  joins  the  Lewes,  and  all  agree  that  the  splendid 
river  that  now  surges  on  to  the  sea  is  the  Yukon. 

It  is  daylight  all  the  time,  and  no  one  should  sleep  be- 
tween White  Horse  and  Dawson.  Not  an  hour  of  this 
beautiful  voyage  on  the  Upper  Yukon  should  be  wasted. 

The  banks  are  high  and  bold,  for  the  most  part  spring- 
ing sheer  out  of  the  water  in  columns  and  pinnacles  of 
solid  stone.  There  are  also  forestated  slopes  rising  to 
peaks  of  snow ;  and  the  same  kind  of  clay  cliffs  that  we 
saw  at  White  Horse,  white  and  shining  in  the  bluish  light 
of  morning,  but  more  beautiful  still  in  the  mysterious 
rosy  shadows  of  midnight. 

There  are  some  striking  columns  of  red  rock  along 
Lake  Lebarge,  and  their  reflections  in  the  water  at  sunset 
of  a  still  evening  are  said  to  be  entrancing :  "  two  warm 
pictures  of  rosy  red  in  the  sinking  sun,  joined  base  to 
base  by  a  thread  of  silver,  at  the  edge  of  the  other  shore." 

There  are  many  high  hills  of  soft  gray  limestone, 
veined  and  shaded  with  the  green  of  spruce ;  vast  slopes, 
timbered  heavily ;  low  valleys  and  picturesque  mouths  of 
rivers. 

Five-Finger,  or  Rink,  Rapids  is  caused  by  a  contraction 
of  the  river  from  its  usual  width  to  one  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards.  Five  bulks  of  stone,  rising  to  a  perpendicular 
height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet,  are  stretched  across  the  chan- 
nel. The  steamer  seems  to  touch  the  stone  walls  as  it 
rushes  through  on  the  boiling  rapids. 

The  Upper  Ramparts  of  the  Yukon  begin  at  Fort  Sel- 
kirk. Here  the  waters  cut  through  the  lower  spurs  of 
the  mountains,  and  for  a  distance  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  reaching  to  Dawson,  the  scenery  is  sublime. 


458  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

"  Quiet  Sentinel "  is  a  rocky  promontory  which,  seen  in 
profile,  resembles  the  face  and  entire  figure  of  a  woman. 
She  stands  with  her  head  slightly  bowed,  as  if  in  pra3^er, 
with  loose  draperies  flowing  in  classic  lines  to  her  feet, 
and  with  a  rose  held  to  her  lips.  One  of  the  greatest 
singers  of  the  present  time  might  have  posed  for  the 
"  Quiet  Sentinel." 

Rivers  and  their  valleys  are  more  famed  in  the  northern 
interior  than  towns.  Teslin,  Tahkeena,  Teslintoo,  Big 
and  Little  Salmon,  Pelly,  Stewart,  White,  Forty-Mile, 
Indian,  Sixty-Mile,  Macmillan,  Klotassin,  Porcupine, 
Chandlar,  Koyukuk,  Unalaklik,  Xanana,  Mynook,  —  these 
be  names  to  conjure  with  in  the  North ;  while  those  south 
of  the  Yukon  and  tributary  to  other  waters  have  equal 
fame. 

As  for  the  Klondike,  it  is  the  only  stream  of  its  size, 
being  but  the  merest  creek  and  averaging  a  hundred  feet 
in  width,  which  has  given  its  name  to  one  whole  country 
and  to  a  portion  of  another  country.  During  the  past 
decade  it  has  not  been  unusual  to  hear  the  name  Klondike 
Country  applied  to  all  Alaska  and  that  part  of  Canada 
adjacent  to  the  Klondike  district.  The  tiny,  gold-bearing 
creeks,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  wide,  tributary  to  the 
Klondike,  are  known  by  name  and  fame  in  all  parts  of 
the  world  to-day.  They  are  Bonanza,  Hunker,  Too- 
Much-Gold,  Eldorado,  Rock,  North  Fork,  All-Gold, 
Gold-Bottom,  and  others  of  less  importance.  The  Bo- 
nanza flows  into  the  Klondike  at  Dawson,  and  it  is  but 
a  half-hour's  walk  to  the  dredge  at  work  in  this  stream. 

In  1833  Baron  Wranofell  directed  Michael  Tebenkoff  to 
establish  Fort  St.  Michael's  on  the  small  island  in  Norton 
Sound  to  which  the  name  of  the  fort  was  given.  Three 
years  later  it  was  attacked  by  natives,  but  was  success- 
fully defended  by  Kurupanoff,  who  was  in  charge. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  459 

In  1836  a  Russian  named  Glasunoff  entered  the  delta 
of  the  Yukon,  ascending  the  river  as  far  as  the  mouth  ot 
the  Anvik  River.  In  1838  Malakoff  extended  the  explo- 
ration as  far  as  Nulato,  where  he  established  a  Russian 
post  and  jolaced  Notarmi  in  command. 

When  the  garrison  returned  to  St.  Michael's  on  ac- 
count of  the  failure  of  provisions,  the  following  winter, 
natives  destroyed  the  fort  and  all  buildings  which  had 
been  erected.  It  was  rebuilt  and  again  destroyed  in 
1839.  In  1841  it  once  more  arose  under  Derabin,  who 
remained  in  command.  The  following  year  Lieutenant 
Zagoskin  reached  Nulato,  ascending  to  Nowikakat  in  1843. 

The  Russians  were  therefore  established  on  the  lower 
Yukon  several  years  before  the  English  established  them- 
selves upon  the  upper  river. 

In  1840  Mr.  Robert  Campbell  was  sent  by  Sir  George 
Simpson  to  explore  the  Upper  Liard  River.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell ascended  the  river  to  its  head  waters,  crossed  the 
mountains,  and  descended  the  Pelly  River  to  the  Lewes, 
where,  eight  years  later,  he  established  Fort  Selkirk. 

This  famous  trading  post  was  short-lived.  In  1851  it 
was  attacked  by  a  band  of  savage  Chilkahts  and  was  sur- 
rendered, without  resistance,  by  Mr.  Campbell,  who  had 
but  two  men  with  him  at  the  time.  They  were  not 
molested  by  the  Indians,  who  plundered  and  burned  the 
warehouses  and  forts. 

Only  the  chimneys  of  the  fort  were  found  by  Lieuten- 
ant Schwatka  in  1883.  As  late  as  1890  this  point  was 
considered  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Yukon. 

In  1847  Fort  Yukon  was  established  by  Mr.  A.  H. 
McMurray,  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  Following 
McMurray  and  Campbell,  came  Joseph  Harper,  Jack 
McQuesten,  and  A.  H.  Mayo,  who  established  a  trading 
post  on  the  Yukon  at  Fort  Reliance,  six  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Klondike. 


460  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

In  1860  Robert  Kemiicott  reached  Fort  Yukon,  and  in 
the  following  spring  descended  to  a  point  that  was  for 
several  years  known  as  "  the  Small  Houses  "  —  the  most 
attractive  name  in  the  Yukon  countr}^  In  1865  an  ex- 
pedition was  organized  in  San  Francisco  by  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 
telegraph  line  from  San  Francisco  to  Behring  Strait  — 
wliich  was  to  be  crossed  by  cable  to  meet  the  Russian 
government  line  at  the  mouth  of  the  Amoor  River.  One 
l)arty,  headed  by  Robert  Kennicott,  was  sent  by  ocean  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  ;  and  another,  in  charge  of 
Michael  Byrnes,  up  the  inside  route  to  the  Stikine  River. 
Going  from  that  river  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Taku, 
they  followed  the  chain  of  lakes  and  the  Hootalinqua 
River  to  the  Lewes,  which  they  reached  on  the  Tahco 
Arm  of  Lake  Tagish.  At  that  time  it  became  known 
that  the  Atlantic  cable  had  proven  to  be  a  success,  and 
the  daring  and  hazardous  northern  project  was  abandoned. 

As  late  as  the  date  of  this  expedition  it  was  not  deter- 
mined positively  whether  the  Kwihkpak  was  one  of  the 
mouths  of  the  Yukon,  or  a  separate  river.  Upon  the  re- 
call of  the  telegraph  expedition,  the  only  portion  of  the 
great  river  that  had  not  been  explored  was  the  short 
distance  between  Lake  Tagish  and  Lake  Lebarge. 

There  have  been  several  claimants  for  the  honor  of 
having  been  the  first  white  man  to  cross  the  divide  be- 
tween Lynn  Canal  and  the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon. 
The  first  was  a  mythological,  nameless  Scotchman  em- 
ployed by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  is  supposed  to 
have  reached  Fort  Selkirk  in  1861,  and  to  have  proceeded 
alone  over  the  old  "  grease-trail "  of  the  Chilkahts  to 
Lynn  Canal.  He  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  and 
was  held  until  ransomed  by  the  captain  of  the  Labouchere. 
Because  he  had  long,  flowing  locks  of  red  hair,  he  was 
supposed  to  be  a  kind  of  white  shaman,  and  his  life  was 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  461 

spared  by  the  savages.  This  story  is  doubted  by  many 
authorities. 

The  honor  was  claimed,  also,  by  George  Holt,  who  is 
known  to  have  crossed  one  of  the  passes  in  1872,  and 
twice  in  later  years.  James  Wynn,  of  Juneau,  went  over 
in  1879  and  returned  in  1880. 

About  this  time  the  Indians  seemed  to  realize  that  pack- 
ing over  the  trail  might  become  more  profitable  than  act- 
ing as  middlemen  between  the  coast  Indians  and  those  of 
the  interior.  In  1881  and  1882  small  parties  of  miners, 
and  even  one  or  two  travelling  alone,  crossed  unmolested. 
In  1883  Lieutenant  Schwatka  had  his  outfit  packed  over 
the  Dyea  —  Taiya,  or  Day  ay,  it  was  then  called  —  Trail  ; 
and  then,  dismissing  his  packers,  built  rafts  and  made 
his  perilous  way  down  the  unknown  river  —  portaging, 
"  shooting "  the  Grand  Canyon,  White  Horse,  and  Rink 
Rapids,  sticking  on  sand-bars,  almost  dying  of  mosquitoes, 
and,  saddest  of  all  for  us  who  come  after  him,  naming 
every  object  that  met  his  eyes  with  the  deplorable  taste 
of  Vancouver. 

Of  a  river,  called  Kut-lah-cook-ah  by  the  Chilkahts,  he 
complacently  remarks:  — 

"  I  shortened  its  name  and  called  it  after  Professor 
Nourse,  of  the  United  States  Naval  Observatory." 

Nourse,  Saussure,  Perrier,  Payer,  Bennett,  Wheaton, 
Prejevalsky,  Richards,  Watson,  Nares,  Bove,  Marsh, 
McClintock,  Miles,  Richthofen,  Hancock,  d'Abbadie,  Daly, 
Nordenskiold,  Von  Wilczek  ;  these  be  the  choice  namings 
that  he  bestowed  upon  the  beautiful  objects  along  the 
Yukon.  It  is,  perhaps,  a  cause  for  thankfulness  that  he 
did  not  rename  the  Yukon  Schwatka  or  Ridderhjelka ! 
However,  many  of  his  namings  have  died  a  natural  death. 

The  name  Yukon  is  said  to  have  first  been  applied  to 
the  river  in  1846  by  Mr.  J.  Bell,  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  who  went  over  from  the  MacKenzie  and   de- 


462  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

scended  tlie  Porcupine  to  the  great  river  which  the  In- 
dians called  Yukon.  He  retained  the  name,  although 
for  some  time  it  was  spelled  Youkon.  For  this,  may  he 
ever  be  of  blessed  memory.  I  should  like  to  contribute 
to  a  monument  to  perpetuate  his  name  and  fame. 

To-day  Fort  Selkirk  is  of  some  importance  as  a  trading 
post  and  because  of  the  successful  farming  of  the  vicinity, 
and  all  passing  steamers  call  there.  Joseph  Harper  was 
located  there  at  the  time  of  George  Carmack's  brilliant 
discovery  of  gold  on  Bonanza  Creek,  in  August,  1896. 
Harper  and  Joseph  Ladue,  who  was  settled  as  a  trader  at 
Sixty-Mile,  immediatel}'  transferred  their  stocks  to  the 
junction  of  the  Yukon,  Klondike,  and  Bonanza,  and  estab- 
lished the  town  which  they  named  Dawson,  in  honor  of 
Dr.  George  M.  Dawson. 

In  1887  Mr.  William  Ogilvie  headed  a  Canadian  ex- 
ploring party  into  the  Yukon.  His  boats  were  towed  up 
to  Taiya  Inlet  by  the  United  States  naval  vessel  Pinta; 
and  while  waiting  there  for  supplies,  he,  having  asked  for, 
and  received,  authority  from  Commander  Newell,  made 
surveys  at  the  heads  of  the  inlets.  It  was  only  through 
the  intercession  of  the  commander,  furthermore,  that  Mr. 
Ogilvie  was  permitted  by  the  Chilkahts  to  proceed  over 
the  pass.  "  I  am  strongly  of  the  opinion,"  Mr.  Ogilvie 
says  in  his  report,  "  that  these  Indians  would  have  been 
much  more  difficult  to  deal  with  if  they  had  not  known 
that  Commander  Newell  remained  in  the  inlet  to  see  that 
I  got  through  in  safety." 

Miners  had  been  going  over  the  trail  for  several  years, 
but  the  Chilkahts  were  enraged  at  the  British  because  em- 
ployees of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  had  killed  some  of 
their  tribe. 

In  the  meantime  Dr.  George  M.  Dawson,  heading  an- 
other Dominion  party,  was  working  along  the  Stikine 
River. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTBY  463 

Dr.  Dawson  and  Mr.  Ogilvie — afterward  governor  of 
Yukon  territory  —  made  extensive  surveys  and  explora- 
tions throughout  the  Yukon  district;  their  reports  upon 
the  country  are  voluminous,  thorough,  and  of  much  in- 
terest. They  were  both  men  of  superior  attainments,  and 
their  influence  upon  the  country  and  upon  the  people  who 
rushed  into  the  new  mining  district  was  great.  To-day 
the  name  of  ex-Governor  Ogilvie  is  heard  more  frequently 
in  the  Klondike  than  that  of  any  other  person,  even  though 
his  residence  is  elsewhere.  He  served  as  governor  during 
the  reckless  and  picturesque  days  when  to  be  a  governor 
meant  to  be  a  man  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word. 


CHAPTER   XLIII 

Dawson  !  It  was  a  name  to  stir  men's  blood  ten  years 
ago,  —  a  wild,  picturesque,  lawless  mining-camp,  whose  like 
had  never  been  known  and  never  will  be  known  again. 

All  kinds  and  conditions  of  men  and  women  were  rep- 
resented. Miners,  prospectors,  millionnaires,  adventurers, 
wanderers,  desperadoes ;  brave-hearted,  earnest  women, 
dissolute  dance-hall  girls,  and,  more  dangerous  still,  the 
quiet,  seductive  adventuress — they  were  all  there,  side  by 
side,  tent  by  tent,  cabin  by  cabin. 

Almost  daily  new  discoveries  were  made  and  stampedes 
occurred.  Every  little  creek  flowing  into  the  Klondike 
was  found  rich  in  gold.  The  very  names  that  these 
creeks  received  —  All-Gold,  Too-Much-Gold,  Gold-Bottom 
— turned  men's  blood  to  fire.  Tlie  whole  country  seemed 
to  have  gone  mad  of  excitement  and  the  lust  for  gold. 
The  white  mountain  passes  grew  black  with  struggling 
human  beings  — fighting,  falling,  rising,  fighting  on.  It 
was  like  the  blind  stampeding  of  crazed  animals  upon  a 
plain ;  nothing  could  check  them  save  exhaustion  or  death. 
When  the  fever  burned  out  in  one  and  left  him  low,  an- 
other sprang  to  take  his  place.  Dawson,  like  Skaguay, 
grew  from  dozens  to  hundreds  in  a  day ;  from  hundreds 
to  thousands;  tents  gave  place  to  cabins;  cabins,  to  sub- 
stantial frame  buildings. 

Ah,  to  have  been  there  in  the  old  daj's !  Who  would 
not  have  suffered  the  early  hardships,  paid  the  price, 
and  paid  it  cheerfully,  for  the  sake  of  seeing  the  life  and 
being  a  part  of  it  before  it  was  too  late  ? 

464 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  465 

Now  it  is  forever  too  late.  The  glory  of  what  it  once 
was  is  all  that  remains.  To-day  Dawson  is  so  quiet,  so 
dull,  so  respectable,  that  one  unconsciously  yawns  in  its 
face. 

But  men's  eyes  still  kindle  when  their  memories  of  old 
days  are  stirred. 

"They  were  great  times,"  they  say,  looking  at  one 
another. 

"  They  could  only  come  once.  They  were  times  of 
blood  and  gold  ;  of  dance  and  song ;  of  glitter  and  show 
—  and  starvation  and  death.  We  worked  all  day  and 
danced  or  gambled  all  night.  Our  only  passions  were 
for  women  and  gold.  If  we  couldn't  get  the  women  we 
wanted,  the  men  that  did  get  'em  fought  their  way  to 
'em,  inch  by  inch ;  if  we  couldn't  dig  the  gold  out  of 
the  earth,  we  got  it  in  some  other  way. 

"All  the  best  buildings  were  occupied  by  saloons. 
Every  saloon  had  a  dance-hall  in  the  back  of  it;  not 
that  the  girls  had  to  keep  to  their  quarters,  either  —  they 
had  the  run  of  the  whole  shebang.  Every  saloon  had 
its  gambling  rooms,  too — unless  the  tables  and  games 
were  right  out  in  the  open.  I  tell  you,  it  was  tough. 
You  can't  begin  to  understand  the  situation  unless  you'd 
been  here.  There  wasn't  a  hotel  nor  a  corner  where  a 
man  could  go  in  and  get  warm  except  in  a  saloon  — 
and  with  the  thermometer  fooling  in  the  neighborhood 
of  fifty  below,  he  didn't  stand  around  outside  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  not  to  any  great  extent.  Most 
likely  his  pockets  was  naturally  froze  shut,  anyhow,  and 
the  only  way  he  could  get  'em  thawed  out  was  to  go 
into  a  saloon.  TTiat  thawed  'em  quick  enough.  It  not 
only  thawed  'em  out ;  it  most  gen'rally  thawed  'em  wide 
open. 

"I  tell  you,  the  worst  element  in  a  mining-camp  is 
women.     They  follow  a  man  and  console  him  when  he's 


466  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

down  on  his  luck ;  they  follow  him  through  thick  and 
thin ;  and  they  get  such  a  hold  on  him  that,  when  he 
wants  to  get  back  to  decent  ways  and  decent  women, 
he  just  naturally  can't  do  it.  Young  fellows  don't  real- 
ize it.  They  don't  see  it  being  done;  they  see  it  after 
it  is  done  and  can't  be  undone. 

"As  soon  as  the  mounted  police  took  holt  of  Daw- 
son, with  Inspector  Constantino  at  the  head,  there  was 
a  sure  change.  Still,  even  the  mounted-police  doctrine 
does  have  some  drawbacks.  I  noticed  they  couldn't 
make  the  post-office  clerks  turn  out  letters  unless  you 
slipped  two-three  dollars  into  their  outstretched  hands. 
I  noticed  that." 

To-day  Dawson  is  a  pretty,  clean-streeted  town  built 
of  log  and  frame  buildings.  In  the  hottest  summer  the 
earth  never  thaws  deeper  than  eighteen  inches,  and  no 
foundation  can  be  obtained  for  brick  buildings.  For  the 
same  reason  plastering  is  not  advisable,  the  uneven 
freezing  and  thawing  proving  ruinous  to  both  brick  and 
plaster. 

The  first  objects  to  greet  the  visitor's  eyes  are  the 
large  buildings  of  the  great  commercial  and  transpor- 
tation companies  of  the  North,  along  the  bank  of  the 
river.  Passing  through  these  one  finds  one's  self  upon  a 
busy,  but  unconventional,  thoroughfare.  Dawson  is  built 
solidly  to  the  hill,  extending  about  a  mile  along  the 
water-front ;  and  the  most  attractive  part  of  the  town 
is  the  village  of  picturesque  log  cabins  climbing  over 
the  lower  slopes  of  the  hill.  They  are  not  large,  but 
they  are  all  built  with  the  roof  extending  over  a  wide 
front  porch.  The  entire  roof  of  each  cabin  is  covered 
several  inches  deep  with  earth,  and  at  the  time  of  our 
visit  —  the  first  week  of  August  —  these  roofs  were  grown 
with  brilliant  green  grasses  and  flowers  to  a  height  of 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches.     They  were  literally  cov- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  467 

ered  with  the  bloom  of  a  dozen  or  more  varieties  of 
wild  flowers.  Every  window  had  its  flaming  window- 
box  ;  every  garden,  its  gay  beds  ;  and  there  were  even 
boxes  set  on  square  fence  posts  and  running  the  entire 
length  of  fences  themselves,  from  which  vines  drooped 
and  trailed  and  flowers  blew.  Standing  at  the  river 
and  looking  toward  the  hill,  the  whole  town  seemed 
a  mass  of  bloom  sloping  up  to  the  green,  which,  in 
turn,  sloped  on  up  to  the  blue. 

We  had  heard  so  much  about  the  exorbitant  prices  of 
the  Klondike,  that  we  were  simply  speechless  when  a  very 
jolly,  sandy-haired  Scotch  gentleman  offered  to  take  our 
two  steamer  trunks,  three  heavy  suit  cases,  and  two  shawl- 
straps  to  the  hotel  which  we  had  blindly  chosen,  for  the 
sum  of  two  dollars.  We  had  expected  to  pay  five ;  and 
when  he  first  asked  two  and  a  half,  we  stood  as  still 
as  though  turned  to  stone  —  and  all  for  joy.  He,  how- 
ever, evidently  mistaking  our  silence,  doubtless  felt  the 
prick  of  the  stern  conscience  of  his  ancestors,  for  he 
hastily  added  :  — 

"Well,  seeing  you're  ladies,  we'll  call  it  an  even  two." 

We  agreed  to  the  price  coldly,  pretending  to  consider 
it  an  outrage. 

"  My  name  is  Angus  McDonald,"  said  he,  with  re- 
proach. "  When  a  McDonald  says  that  his  price  is  the 
lowest  in  the  town,  his  word  may  be  taken.  If  you  come  to 
Dawson  twenty  years  from  now,  Angus  will  be  standing 
here  waiting  to  handle  your  baggage  at  the  lowest  price." 

We  gave  him  our  keys  and  he  attended  to  all  the  cus- 
toms details  for  us.  We  had  left  Seattle  on  the  evening 
of  the  24th  of  July ;  had  stopped  for  several  hours  at 
Ketchikan,  Wrangell,  Metlakahtla,  Juneau,  Treadwell, 
and  Taku  Glacier ;  a  day  and  a  night  at  Skaguay  ;  two 
nights  and  a  day  at  White  Horse ;  had  made  short  pauses 
at  Selkirk  and  Lower  Lebarge  —  to  say  nothing  of  hours 


468  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUyTRY 

spent  in  "  wooding-np,"  which  is  a  picturesque  and  sure 
feature  of  Yukon  voyages ;  and  at  noon  on  the  fifth  day 
of  August  we  were  settled  at  the  "  Kenwood "  —  the 
dearest  hotel  at  Avhich  it  has  ever  been  my  good  fortune 
to  tarry  even  for  a  day.  I  do  not  mean  the  most  stylish, 
nor  the  most  elegant,  nor  even  the  most  comfortable;  nor 
do  I  mean  the  dearest  in  price ;  but  the  dearest  to  my 
heart.  It  is  kept  in  a  neat,  cheerful,  and  homelike  style 
by  Miss  Kinney  —  who  had  almost  as  many  malamute 
puppies,  by  the  Avay,  as  she  had  guests. 

When  we  gave  Mr.  Angus  McDonald  our  keys,  it  was 
not  quite  decided  as  to  our  hotel ;  but  when  we  learned 
that  we  were  sufficiently  respectable  in  aijpearance  to  be 
accepted  by  Miss  Kinney,  we  telephoned  for  our  trunks. 
Then  we  forgot  all  about  paying  for  them,  and  set  out  for 
a  walk.  When  we  returned,  luncheon  was  being  served ; 
our  trunks  were  in  our  rooms,  but  —  Mr.  Angus  Mc- 
Donald had  gone  off  with  our  keys !  We  did  not  know 
then  what  we  know  now  ;  that  Mr.  Angus  McDonald  and 
his  retained  keys  are  a  Dawson  joke.  It  seems  that  when- 
ever one  does  not  pay  in  advance  for  the  delivery  of  his 
trunks,  Mr.  McDonald  drives  away  with  the  keys  in  his 
pocket,  whistling  the  merriest  of  Scotch  tunes. 

The  joke  has  its  embarrassments,  particularly  when  one 
has  descended  to  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Yukon  in  a 
sand-slide. 

The  traveller  in  Alaska  who  desires  to  retain  his  own 
self-respect  and  that  of  his  fellow-man  will  never  criticise 
a  price  nor  ask  to  have  it  reduced.  He  is  expected 
to  contribute  liberally  to  every  church  he  enters,  every 
Indian  band  he  hears  play,  every  charitable  institution 
that  may  present  its  merits  for  his  consideration,  every 
purse  that  may  be  made  up  on  steamers,  whatsoever  its 
object  may  be.  Fees  are  from  fifty  cents  to  five  dollars. 
A  waiter  on  a  Yukon  steamer  threw  a  quarter  back  at  a 


ALA  SKA  :    THE    G  RE  A  T    COUNTRY  469 

man  who  had  innocently  slipped  it  into  his  hand.  Later,  I 
saw  him  in  the  centre  of  a  group  of  angry  waiters  and 
cabin-boys  to  whom  he  was  relating  his  grievance. 

Since  one  is  constantly  changing  steamers,  and  has 
a  waiter,  a  cabin-boy,  a  night-boy,  and  frequently  a 
stewardess  to  fee  on  each  steamer,  this  must  be  counted 
as  one  of  the  regular  expenses  of  the  trip. 

Other  expenses  we  found  to  be  greatly  exaggerated  on 
the  "outside."  Aside  from  our  amusing  experience  with 
soap-bubble  soda  at  White  Horse  and  a  bill  for  eight  dol- 
lars and  fifty  cents  for  the  poor  pressing  of  three  plain 
dress  skirts  and  one  jacket  at  Nome,  we  found  nothing  to 
criticise  in  northern  prices. 

The  best  rooms  at  the  "  Kenwood  "  were  onl}^  two  dollars 
a  day,  and  each  meal  was  one  dollar  —  whether  one  ate 
little  or  whether  one  ate  much.  It  was  always  the  latter 
with  us  ;  for  I  have  never  been  so  hungry  except  at  Ben- 
nett. I  am  convinced  that  the  climate  of  the  Yukon  will 
cure  every  disease  and  every  ill.  We  walked  miles  each 
day,  drank  much  cold,  pure  water,  and  ate  much  whole- 
some, well-cooked,  delicious  food  —  including  blueberries 
three  times  a  day ;  and  our  sleep  was  sound,  sweet,  and 
refreshing. 

Dawson  has  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants  now ;  it 
once  had  twice  as  many,  and  it  will  have  again.  Mining 
in  the  Klondike  is  in  the  transition  stage.  It  is  passing 
from  the  individual  owners  to  large  companies  and  cor- 
porations which  have  ample  capital  to  install  expensive 
machinery  and  develop  rich  properties.  It  is  the  history 
of  every  mining  district,  and  its  coming  to  the  Klondike 
was  inevitable.  Its  first  effect,  however,  is  always  "  to 
ruin  the  camp." 

"Dawson's  a  camp  no  longer,"  said  one  who  "went  in" 
in  1897,  sadly.  "  It's  all  spoiled.  The  individual  miner 
has  let  go  and  the  monopolists  are  coming  in  to  take  his 


470       ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

place.  The  good  days  are  things  of  the  past.  Pretty 
soon  they'll  be  giving  you  change  when  you  throw  down 
two -bits  for  a  lead  pencil  !  "  he  concluded,  with  a  lofty 
scorn  —  as  much  as  to  say  :   "  It  will  then  be  time  to  die." 

Dawson  is  connected  with  the  "  outside  "  by  telegraph. 
It  has  two  daily  newspapers,  —  which  are  metropolitan  in 
style,  —  an  electric-light  plant,  and  a  telephone  sj^stem. 
Its  streets  are  graded  and  side  walked,  and  it  is  piped  for 
water;  but  its  lack  of  systematized  sewerage — or  what 
might  be  more  appropriately  called  its  systematized  lack 
of  sewerage  —  is  an  abomination.  It  is,  however,  not 
alone  in  its  unsanitation  in  this  respect,  for  Nome  follows 
its  example. 

Both  homes  and  public  buildings  are  of  exceeding  plain- 
ness of  style,  owing  to  the  excessive  cost  of  building  in  a 
region  bounded  by  tlie  Arctic  Circle.  The  interiors  of 
both,  however,  are  attractive  and  luxurious  in  finish  and 
furnishings  ;  and  owing  to  the  sway  of  the  mounted 
police,  the  town  has  an  air  of  cleanliness  and  orderliness 
that  is  admirable. 

A  creditable  building  holds  the  post-office  and  customs 
office,  and  there  is  a  public  school  building  which  cost 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  handsome  administration 
building,  standing  in  a  green,  park-like  place,  cost  as 
much.  There  is  a  large  court-house,  the  barracks  of  the 
mounted  police,  and  other  public  buildings.  Only  the 
ruins  remain  of  the  executive  mansion. on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  two  years  ago  and 
has  not  been  rebuilt.  It  was  the  pride  of  Dawson.  It 
was  a  large  residence  of  pleasing  architecture,  lighted  by 
electricity  and  finished  throughout  in  British  Columbia 
fir  in  natural  tones.  It  contained  the  governor's  private 
office,  palatial  reception  rooms  and  parlors,  a  library,  a 
noble  hall  and  stairway,  a  state  dining  room,  a  billiard 
room  and  smoking  room,  and  spacious  chambers. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  471 

The  governor's  office  in  the  administration  building  is 
large  and  handsomely  furnished.  Tlie  commissioner  of 
Yukon  Territory  is  called  by  courtesy  governor,  and  the 
present  commissioner,  Governor  Henderson,  is  a  gentle- 
man of  distinguished  presence  and  courtly  manners.  He 
had  just  returned  from  an  automobile  tour  of  inspection 
among  "  the  creeks." 

Governors,  elegant  executive  mansions  and  ofSces,  and 
automobile  tours  —  where  eleven  years  ago  was  nothing 
but  the  creeks  and  the  virgin  gold  which  brought  all  that 
is  there  to-day  !  We  did  not  rebel  at  anything  but  the 
automobile;  somehow,  it  jarred  like  an  insult.  An  auto- 
mobile up  among  the  storied  creeks! 

There  is  a  railroad,  also,  on  which  daily  trains  are  run 
for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  through  the  mining  dis- 
trict. Six  and  eight  horse  stages  will  make  the  trip  in 
one  day  for  a  party  of  six  for  fifty  dollars. 

Thirty  dollars  is  first  asked.  When  that  price  is  found  to 
be  satisfactory,  it  is  immediately  discovered  that  the  small 
stage  is  engaged  or  out  of  repair ;  a  larger  one  must  be 
used,  for  which  the  price  is  forty  dollars.  When  this  price 
is  agreed  upon,  some  infirmity  is  discovered  in  the  second 
stage;  a  third  must  be  substituted,  for  whose  all-day  use 
the  price  is  fifty  dollars.  If  one  cares  to  see  the  "cricks," 
with  no  assurance  that  he  will  stumble  upon  a  clean-up, 
at  this  price,  he  meekl}^  takes  his  seat  and  is  jolted  up 
into  the  hills,  paying  a  few  dollars  extra  for  his  meals. 

He  may,  however,  take  an  hour's  walk  up  Bonanza 
Creek  and  see  the  great  dredges  at  work  and  the  steam- 
pipes  thawing  the  frozen  gravel ;  and  if  he  should  voyage 
on  down  to  Nome,  he  may  take  an  hour's  run  by  railway 
out  on  the  tundra  and  see  thirty  thousand  dollars  sluiced 
out  any  day.  Almost  anything  is  preferable  to  the 
"graft"  that  is  worked  by  the  stage  companies  upon 
the  helpless  cheechacos  at  Dawson. 


472       ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Tlie  British  Yukon  is  an  organized  territory,  having  a 
commissioner,  three  judges,  and  an  executive  legislature, 
of  whose  ten  members  five  are  elected  and  five  appointed. 
The  governor  is  also  appointed.  He  presides  over  the 
sessions  of  the  legislature,  giving  the  appointed  members 
a  majority  of  one. 

The  Yukon  has  a  delegate  in  parliament,  a  gold  com- 
missioner, a  land  agent,  and  a  superintendent  of  roads. 
Three-fourths  of  the  population  of  the  territory  are  Ameri- 
cans, yet  the  town  has  a  distinctly  English,  or  Canadian, 
atmosphere.  In  incorporated  towns  there  is  a  tax  levy 
on  property  for  municipal  purposes. 

Order  is  preserved  by  the  well-known  organization  of 
Northwest  Mounted  Police,  whose  members  might  be 
recognized  anywhere,  even  when  not  in  uniform,  by 
their  stern  eyes,  set  lips,  and  peculiar  carriage. 

The  first  station  of  mounted  police  in  the  Yukon  was 
established  at  Forty-Mile,  or  Fort  Cudahy,  in  1895,  when 
the  discovery  of  gold  was  creating  a  mild  excitement. 
Although  so  many  boasts  have  been  made  by  the  British 
of  their  early  settlement  of  the  Yukon,  not  only  was  Mr. 
Ogilvie  compelled  to  cross  in  1887  under  protection  of 
the  American  Commander  Newell,  but  in  1895  the  mem- 
bers of  the  first  force  of  mounted  police  to  come  into  the 
country  were  forced  to  ascend  the  Yukon,  by  special  per- 
mission of  the  United  States  government,  so  difficult 
were  all  routes  through  Yukon  Territory. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  about  sixty  police 
stations  in  the  territory,  as  well  as  garrisons  at  Dawson 
and  White  Horse.  The  smaller  stations  have  only  three 
men.  They  are  scattered  throughout  the  mining  country, 
wherever  a  handful  of  men  are  gathered  together.  Be- 
tween Dawson  and  White  Horse,  where  travel  is  heavy,  a 
weekly  patrol  is  maintained,  and  a  careful  register  is  kept 
of  all  boats  and  passengers  going  up  or  down  the  river. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  473 

On  the  winter  trail  passengers  are  registered  at  each 
road  house,  with  date  of  arrival  and  departure,  making  it 
easy  to  locate  any  traveller  in  the  territory  at  any  time. 
In  the  larger  towns  the  mounted  police  serve  as  police 
officers  ;  tliey  also  assist  the  customs  officers  and  fill  the 
offices  of  police  magistrate  and  coroner.  A  police  launch 
to  patrol  the  river  in  summer  has  been  recommended. 

Dawson  is  laid  out  in  rectangular  shape,  with  streets 
about  seventy  feet  wide  and  appearing  wider  because  the 
buildings  are  for  the  most  part  low.  In  1897  town  lots 
sold  for  five  thousand  dollars,  when  there  was  nothing  but 
tents  on  the  flat  at  the  mouth  of  the  Klondike.  The  half- 
dollar  was  the  smallest  piece  of  money  in  circulation,  as 
the  quarter  is  to-day.  Saw-mills  were  in  operation,  and 
dressed  lumber  sold  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a 
thousand  feet.  Fifteen  dollars  a  day,  however,  was  the 
ordinary  wage  of  men  working  in  the  mines  ;  so  that  such 
prices  as  fifty  cents  for  an  orange,  two  dollars  a  dozen  for 
eggs,  and  twenty-five  cents  a  pound  for  potatoes  did  not 
seem  exorbitant. 

There  are  rival  claimants  for  the  honor  of  the  first 
discovery  of  gold  on  the  Klondike,  but  George  Carmack 
is  generally  credited  with  being  the  fortunate  man.  In 
August,  1896,  he  and  the  Indians  "  Skookum  Jim  "  and 
"Tagish  Charlie," — Mr.  Carmack's  brothers-in-law  — 
were  fishing  one  day  at  the  mouth  of  the  Klondike 
River.  (This  river  was  formerly  called  Thron-Dieuck, 
or  Troan-Dike.)  Not  being  successful,  they  concluded 
to  go  a  little  Avay  up  the  river  to  prospect.  On  the  six- 
teenth day  of  the  month  they  detected  signs  of  gold  on 
what  has  since  been  named  Bonanza  Creek  ;  and  from  the 
first  pan  they  washed  out  twelve  dollars.  They  staked  a 
"  discovery  "  claim,  and  one  above  and  below  it,  as  is  the 
right  of  discoverers. 

At  that   time  the   gold   flurry  was   in    the  vicinity  of 


474  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTET 

Forty-Mile.  The  first  building  ever  done  on  the  site  of 
Dawson  was  that  of  a  raft,  upon  which  they  proceeded 
to  Forty-Mile  to  file  their  claims.  On  the  same  day 
began  the  great  stampede  to  the  little  river  which  was 
soon  to  become  world-famous. 

The  days  of  the  bucket  and  windlass  have  passed  for 
the  Klondike.  Dredging  and  hydraulicking  have  taken 
their  place,  and  the  trains  and  steamers  are  loaded  with 
powerful  machinery  to  be  operated  by  vast  corporations- 
It  is  certain  that  there  are  extensive  quartz  deposits  in 
the  vicinity,  and  when  they  are  located  the  good  and 
stirring  days  of  the  nineties  will  be  repeated.  Ground 
that  was  panned  and  sluiced  by  the  individual  miner  is 
now  being  again  profitably  worked  by  modern  methods. 
Scarcity  of  water  has  been  the  chief  obstacle  to  a  rapid 
development  of  the  mines  among  the  creeks ;  but  experi- 
ments are  constantly  being  made  in  the  way  of  carrying 
water  from  other  sources. 

It  was  perplexing  to  hear  jDeople  talking  about  "  Num- 
ber One  Above  on  Bonanza,"  "Number  Nine  Below  on 
Hunker,"  "  Number  Twenty-six  Above  on  Eldorado," 
and  others,  until  it  was  explained  that  claims  are  num- 
bered above  and  below  the  one  originally  discovered  on  a 
creek.  Eldorado  is  one  of  the  smallest  of  creeks ;  yet, 
notwithstanding  its  limited  water  supply,  it  has  been  one 
of  the  richest  producers.  One  reach,  of  about  four  miles 
in  length,  has  yielded  already  more  than  thirty  millions 
of  dollars  in  coarse  gold. 

The  gold  of  the  Klondike  is  beautiful.  It  is  not  a  fine 
dust.  It  runs  from  grains  like  mustard  seed  up  to  large 
nuggets. 

When  one  goes  up  among  the  creeks,  sees  and  hears 
what  has  actually  been  done,  one  can  but  wonder  that 
any  young  and  strong  man  can  stay  away  from  this  mar- 
vellous country.      Gold  is  still  there,  undiscovered;  it  is 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  475 

seldom  the  old  prospector,  the  experienced  miner,  the 
"sour-dough,"  that  finds  it;  it  is  usually  the  ignorant,- 
lucky  "cheechaco."  It  is  like  the  game  of  poker,  to 
which  sits  down  one  who  never  saw  the  game  played  and 
holds  a  royal  flush,  or  four  aces,  every  other  hand.  How 
young  men  can  clerk  in  stores,  study  pharmacy,  or  learn 
politics  in  provincial  towns,  while  this  glorious  country 
waits  to  be  found,  is  incomprehensible  to  one  with  the 
red  blood  of  adventure  in  his  veins  and  the  quick  pulse 
of  chance.  Better  to  dare,  to  risk  all  and  lose  all,  if  it 
must  be,  than  never  to  live  at  all ;  than  always  to  be  a 
drone  in  a  narrow,  commonplace  groove ;  than  never  to 
know  the  surge  of  this  lonely  river  of  mystery  and  never 
to  feel  the  air  of  these  vast  spaces  upon  one's  brow. 

No  one  can  even  tread  the  deck  of  a  Yukon  steamer 
and  be  quite  so  small  and  narrow  again  as  he  was  before. 
The  loneliness,  the  mystery,  the  majesty  of  it,  reveals  his 
own  soul  to  his  shrinking  eyes,  and  he  grows  —  in  a  day, 
in  an  hour,  in  the  flash  of  a  thought  —  out  of  his  old  self. 
If  only  to  be  borne  through  this  great  country  on  this 
wide  water-way  to  the  sea  can  work  this  change  in  a  man's 
heart,  what  miracle  might  not  be  wrought  by  a  few  years 
of  life  in  its  solitude? 

The  principle  of  "  panning "  out  gold  is  simple,  and 
any  woman  could  perform  the  work  successfully  without 
instruction,  success  depending  upon  the  delicacy  of  manip- 
ulation. From  fifty  cents  to  two  hundred  dollars  a  pan 
are  obtained  by  this  old-fashioned  but  fascinating  method. 
Think  of  wandering  through  this  splendid,  gold-set 
country  in  the  matchless  summers  when  there  is  not  an 
hour  of  darkness ;  with  the  health  and  the  appetite  to 
enjoy  plain  food  and  the  spirit  to  welcome  adventure  ;  to 
pause  on  the  banks  of  unknown  creeks  and  try  one's  luck, 
not  knowing  what  a  pan  may  bring  forth ;  to  lie  down 


476  ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY 

one  night  a  penniless  wanderer,  so  far  as  gold  is  con- 
cerned, and,  perhaps,  to  sleep  the  next  night  on  banks 
that  wash  out  a  hundred  dollars  to  the  pan  —  could  one 
choose  a  more  fascinating  life  than  this? 

Rockers  are  wooden  boxes  which  are  so  constructed 
that  they  gently  shake  down  the  gold  and  dispose  of  the 
gravel  through  an  opening  in  the  bottom.  Sluicing  is 
more  interesting  than  any  other  method  of  extracting 
gold,  but  this  will  be  described  as  we  saw  the  process 
separate  the  glittering  gold  from  the  dull  gravel  at  Nome. 


CHAPTER   XLIV 

The  two  great  commercial  companies  of  the  North 
to-day  are  the  Northern  Commercial  Company  and  the 
North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Company. 
The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  and  the  North  Ameri- 
can Transportation  and  Trading  Company  were  the  first 
to  be  established  on  the  Yukon,  with  headquarters  at  St. 
Michael,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  In  1898  the  Alaska 
Exploration  Company  established  its  station  across  the  bay 
from  St.  Michael  on  the  mainland  ;  and  during  that  year 
a  number  of  other  companies  were  located  there,  only 
two  of  which,  however,  proved  to  be  of  any  permanency  — 
the  Empire  Transportation  Company  and  the  Seattle- 
Yukon  Transportation  Company. 

In  1901  the  Alaska  Commercial,  Empire  Transportation, 
and  Alaska  Exploration  companies  formed  a  combination 
which  operated  under  the  names  of  the  Northern  Commer- 
cial Company  and  tlie  Northern  Navigation  Company,  the 
former  being  a  trading  and  the  latter  a  steamship  com- 
pany. Owing  to  certain  conditions,  the  Seattle-Yukon 
Transportation  Company  was  unable  to  join  the  combina- 
tion ;  and  its  properties,  consisting  principally  of  three 
steamers,  together  with  four  barges,  were  sold  to  the 
newly  formed  company.  During  the  first  year  of  the 
consolidation  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company  worked  in  harmony  with  the  Northern 
Navigation  Company,  Captain  I.  N.  Hibberd,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, having  charge  of  the  entire  lower  river  fleet,  with 
the  exception  of  one  or  two  small  tramp  boats. 

477 


478  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

By  that  time  very  fine  combination  passenger  and 
freight  boats  were  in  operation,  having  been  built  at 
Unalaska  and  towed  to  St.  Michael.  In  its  trips  up  and 
down  the  river,  each  steamer  towed  one  or  two  barges, 
the  combined  cargo  of  the  steamer  and  tow  being  about 
eight  hundred  tons.  It  was  impossible  for  a  boat  to  make 
more  than  two  round  trips  during  the  summer  season,  the 
average  time  required  being  fourteen  days  on  the  "up" 
trip  and  eight  on  the  "  down  "  for  the  better  boats,  and 
twenty  and  ten  days  respectively  for  inferior  ones,  with- 
out barges,  which  always  added  at  least  ten  days  to  a 
trip. 

After  a  year  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company  withdrew  from  the  combination  and 
has  since  operated  its  own  steamers. 

Of  all  these  companies  the  Alaska  Commercial  is  the 
oldest,  having  been  founded  in  1868  ;  it  was  the  pioneer 
of  American  trading  companies  in  Alaska,  and  was  for 
twenty  years  the  lessee  of  the  Pribyloff  seal  rookeries. 
It  had  a  small  passenger  and  freight  boat  on  the  Yukon 
in  1869.  The  other  companies  owed  their  existence  to 
the  Klondike  gold  discoveries. 

The  two  companies  now  operating  on  the  Yukon  have 
immense  stores  and  warehouses  at  Dawson  and  St.  Michael, 
and  smaller  ones  at  almost  every  post  on  the  Yukon  ; 
while  the  N.  C.  Company,  as  it  is  commonly  known,  has 
establishments  up  many  of  the  tributary  rivers. 

As  picturesque  as  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  far 
more  just  and  humane  in  their  treatment  of  the  Indians, 
tlie  American  companies  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  their 
record  in  the  far  North.  In  1886,  when  a  large  number 
of  miners  started  for  the  Stewart  River  mines,  the  agent 
of  the  A.  C.  Company  at  St.  Michael  received  advice  from 
headquarters  in  San  Francisco  that  an  extra  amount  of 
provisions  had  been  sent  to  him,  to  meet  all  possible  de- 


ALASKA  :    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY  479 

mands  that  might  be  made  upon  him  during  the  winter. 
He  was  further  advised  that  the  shipment  was  not  made 
for  the  purpose  of  realizing  profits  beyond  the  regular 
schedule  of  prices  already  established,  but  for  humane 
purposes  entirely  —  to  avoid  any  suffering  that  might 
occur,  oAving  to  the  large  increase  in  population.  He 
was,  therefore,  directed  to  store  the  extra  supplies  as  a 
reserve  to  meet  the  probable  need,  to  dispose  of  the  same 
to  actual  customers  only  and  in  such  quantities  as  would 
enable  him  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  each  and  every 
person  that  might  apply.  Excessive  prices  were  pro- 
hibited, and  instructions  to  supply  all  persons  who  might 
be  in  absolute  poverty,  free  of  charge,  were  plain  and  un- 
mistakable. 

Men  of  the  highest  character  and  address  have  been 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  various  stations,  —  men  with  the 
business  ability  to  successfully  conduct  the  company's  im- 
portant interests  and  the  social  qualifications  that  would 
enable  them  to  meet  and  entertain  distinguished  travellers 
through  the  wilderness  in  a  manner  creditable  to  the  com- 
pany. Tourists,  by  the  way,  who  go  to  Alaska  without 
providing  themselves  with  clothes  suitable  for  formal 
social  functions  are  frequently  embarrassed  by  the  omis- 
sion. Gentlemen  may  hasten  to  the  company's  store  — 
which  carries  everything  that  men  can  use,  from  a  tooth- 
pick to  a  steamboat  —  and  array  themselves  in  evening 
clothes,  provided  that  they  are  not  too  fastidious  concern- 
ing the  fit  and  the  style  ;  but  ladies  might  not  be  so  for- 
tunate. Nothing  is  too  good  for  the  people  of  Alaska, 
and  when  they  offer  hospitality  to  the  stranger  within 
their  gates,  they  prefer  to  have  him  pay  them  the  compli- 
ment of  dressing  appropriately  to  the  occasion.  If  voya- 
gers to  Alaska  will  consider  this  advice  they  may  spare 
themselves  and  their  hosts  in  the  Arctic  Circle  some  un- 
happy moments. 


480  ALASKA :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Yukon  summers  are  glorious.  There  is  not  an  hour 
of  darkness.  A  gentleman  who  came  down  from  "  the 
creeks "  to  call  upon  us  did  not  reach  our  hotel  until 
eleven  o'clock.  He  remained  until  midnight,  and  the 
light  in  the  parlor  when  he  took  his  departure  was  as  at 
eight  o'clock  of  a  June  evening  at  home.  The  lights  were 
not  turned  on  while  we  were  in  Dawson;  but  it  is  another 
story  in  winter. 

Clothes  are  not  ''  blued  "  in  Dawson.  The  first  morn- 
ing after  our  arrival  I  was  summoned  to  a  window  to 
inspect  a  clothes-line. 

"  Will  3^ou  look  at  those  clotlies!  Did  you  ever  see 
such  whiteness  in  clothes  before?" 

I  never  had,  and  I  promptly  asked  Miss  Kinney  what 
her  laundress  did  to  the  clothes  to  make  them  look  so 
white. 

"  I'm  the  laundress,"  said  she,  brusquely.  "  I  come 
out  here  from  Chicago  to  work,  and  I  work.  I  was  half 
dead,  clerking  in  a  store,  when  the  Klondike  craze  come 
along  and  swept  me  off  my  feet.  I  struck  Dawson  broke. 
I  went  to  work,  and  I've  been  at  work  ever  since.  I 
have  cooks,  and  chambermaids,  and  laundresses ;  but  it 
often  happens  that  I  have  to  be  all  three,  besides  landlady, 
at  once.  That's  the  way  of  the  Klondike.  Now,  I  must 
go  and  feed  those  malamute  pups ;  that  little  yellow  one 
is  getting  sassy." 

She  had  almost  escaped  when  I  caught  her  sleeve  and 
detained  her. 

"But  the  clothes  —  I  asked  you  what  makes  them  so 
white  —  " 

"  Don't  you  suppose,"  interrupted  she,  irascibly,  "  that 
I  have  too  much  work  to  do  to  fool  around  answering  the 
questions  of  a  cheechaco  ?  I'm  not  travelling  down  the 
Yukon  for  fun  !  " 

This  was  distinctly  discouraging;    but  I  had  set  out  to 


ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  481 

learn  what  had  made  those  clothes  so  white.  Besides,  I  was 
beginning  to  perceive  dimly  that  she  was  not  so  hard  as 
she  spoke  herself  to  be ;  so  I  advised  her  that  I  should  not 
release  her  sleeve  until  she  had  answered  my  question. 

She  burst  into  a  kind  of  lawless  laughter  and  threw  her 
hand  out  at  me. 

"  Oh,  you  !  Well,  there,  then  !  I  never  saw  your  beat ! 
There  ain't  a  thing  in  them  there  clothes  but  soap-suds, 
renched  out,  and  sunshine.  We  don't  even  have  to  rub 
clothes  up  here  the  way  you  have  to  in  other  places;  and 
we  never  put  in  a  pinch  of  blueing.  Two-three  hours  of 
sunshine  makes  'em  like  snow." 

"  But  how  is  it  in  winter  ?  " 

She  laughed  again. 

"  Oh,  that's  another  matter.  We  bleach  'em  out  enough 
in  summer  so's  it"ll  do  for  all  winter.  Let  go  my  sleeve 
or  you  won't  get  any  blueberries  for  lunch." 

This  threat  had  the  desired  effect.  Surely  no  woman 
ever  worked  harder  than  Miss  Kinney  worked.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  mornings  we  heard  her  ordering  maids  and 
malamute  puppies  about ;  and  at  midnight,  or  later,  her 
springing  step  might  be  heard  as  she  made  the  final  rounds, 
to  make  sure  that  all  was  well  with  her  family. 

We  were  greatly  amused  and  somewhat  embarrassed  on 
the  day  of  our  arrival.  We  saw  at  a  glance  that  the  only 
vacant  room  was  too  small  to  receive  our  baggage. 

"  I'll  fix  that,"  said  she,  snapping  her  fingers.  "  I  just 
gave  a  big  room  on  the  first  floor  to  two  young  men.  I'll 
make  them  exchange  with  you." 

It  was  in  vain  that  we  protested. 

"  Now,  you  let  me  be  ! "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  I'll  fix  this. 
You're  in  the  Klondike  now,  and  you'll  learn  how  white 
men  can  be.  Young  men  don't  take  the  best  room  and  let 
women  take  the  worst  up  here.  If  they  come  up  here 
with  that  notion,  they  soon  get  it  taken  out  of  'em  —  and 

2i 


482  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Vm  just  the  one  to  do  it.  Now,  you  let  me  be  !  They'll 
be  tickled  to  death." 

Whatever  their  state  of  mind  may  have  been,  the  ex- 
change was  made ;  but  when  we  endeavored  to  thank 
her,  she  snapped  us  up  with:  — 

"  Anybody'd  know  you  never  lived  in  a  white  country, 
or  you  wouldn't  make  such  a  fuss  over  such  a  little  thing. 
We're  used  to  doing  tilings  for  other  people  tip  here"  she 
added,  scornfully. 

Miss  Kinney  gave  us  many  surprises  during  our  stay, 
but  at  the  last  moment  she  gave  us  the  greatest  surprise 
of  all.  Just  as  our  steamer  was  on  the  point  of  leaving, 
she  came  running  down  the  gangway  and  straight  to  us. 
Her  hands  and  arms  were  filled  with  large  paper  bags, 
which  she  began  forcing  upon  us. 

"There!  "  she  said.  "I've  come  to  say  good-by  and 
bring  you  some  fruit.  I'd  given  you  one  of  those  mala- 
mute  puppies  if  I  could  have  spared  him.  Well,  good-by 
and  good  luck  !  " 

We  were  both  so  touched  by  this  unexpected  kindness  in 
one  who  had  taken  so  much  pains  to  conceal  every  touch  of 
tenderness  in  her  nature,  that  we  could  not  look  at  one  an- 
other for  some  time ;  nor  did  it  lessen  our  appreciation  to 
remember  how  ceaselessly  and  how  drudgingly  Miss  Kin- 
ney worked  and  the  price  she  must  have  paid  for  those 
great  bags  of  oranges,  apples,  and  peaches  —  for  freight 
rates  are  a  hundred  and  forty  dollars  a  ton  on  "  perishables." 
It  set  a  mist  in  our  eyes  every  time  we  thought  about  it. 
It  was  our  first  taste  of  Arctic  kindness ;  and,  somehow, 
its  flavor  was  different  from  that  of  other  latitudes. 

Dawson  is  gay  socially,  as  it  has  always  been.  In 
summer  the  people  are  devoted  to  outdoor  sports,  which 
are  enjoyed  during  the  long  evenings.  There  is  a  good 
club-house  for  athletic  sports  in  winter,  and  the  theatres 
are  well  patronized,  although,  in  summer,  plays  commence 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  483 

at  ten  or  teii-tliirty  and  are  not  concluded  before  one.  As 
in  all  English  and  Canadian  towns,  business  is  resumed  at 
a  late  hour  in  the  morning,  making  the  hours  of  rest  cor- 
respond in  length  to  ours. 

Two  young  Yale  men  who  were  travelling  in  our  party 
had  been  longing  to  see  a  dance-hall,  —  a  "  real  Klondike 
dance-hall,"  —  but  they  came  in  one  midnight,  their  faces 
eloquent  with  disgust. 

"We  found  a  dance-hall  at  last,''  said  one.  "They  hide 
their  light  under  such  bushels  now  that  it  takes  a  week  to 
find  one;  the  mounted  police  don't  stand  any  foolishness. 
Then  —  think  of  a  dance-hall  running  in  broad  daylight! 
No  mystery,  no  glitter,  no  soft,  rosy  glamour  —  say,  it 
made  me  yearn  for  bread  and  butter.  Do  you  know 
where  Miss  Kinney  keeps  her  bread  jar  and  blueberries? 
Honestly,  I  don't  know  anything  or  any  place  that  could 
cultivate  a  taste  in  a  young  man  for  sane  and  decent  things 
like  one  of  these  dance-halls  here.  I  never  was  so  dis- 
appointed in  my  life.  I  can  go  to  church  at  home  ;  I  didn't 
come  to  the  Klondike  for  that.  Why,  the  very  music  it- 
self sounded  about  as  lively  as  '  Come,  Ye  Disconsolate! ' 
Come  on,  Billy  ;  let's  go  to  bed." 

No  one  should  visit  Dawson  without  climbing,  on  a  clear 
day,  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  behind  the  town,  which  is 
called  "  the  Dome."  The  view  of  the  surrounding  country 
from  this  point  is  magnificent.  The  course  of  the  winding, 
widening  Yukon  may  be  traced  for  countless  miles ;  the 
little  creeks  pour  their  tawny  floods  down  into  the  Klon- 
dike before  the  longing  eyes  of  the  beholder ;  and  faraway 
on  the  horizon  faintly  shine  the  snow-peaks  that  beautify 
almost  every  portion  of  the  northern  land. 

The  wagon  roads  leading  from  Dawson  to  the  mining 
districts  up  the  various  creeks  are  a  distinct  surprise. 
They  were  built  by  the  Dominion  government  and  are 
said  to  be  the  best  roads  to  be  found  in  any  mining  district 


484  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

ill  the  world.  A  Dawson  man  will  brag  about  the  roads, 
while  modestly  silent  about  the  gold  to  which  the  roads  lead. 

"  You  must  go  up  into  the  creeks,  if  only  to  see  the 
roads,"  every  man  to  whom  one  talks  will  presently  say. 
"  You  can't  beat  'em  anywheres." 

Claim  stakiiior  in  the  Klondike  is  a  serious  matter. 
The  mining  is  practically  all  placer,  as  yet,  and  a  creek 
claim  comijrises  an  area  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  along 
the  creek  and  two  thousand  feet  wide.  Tliis  information 
was  a  shock  to  me.  I  had  always  supposed,  vaguely,  that 
a  mining  claim  was  a  kind  of  farm,  of  anywhere  from 
twenty  to  sixty  acres;  and  to  find  it  but  little  larger  than 
the  half  of  a  city  block  was  a  chill  to  my  enthusiasm. 
They  explained,  however,  that  the  gravel  filling  a  pan 
was  but  small  in  quantity,  that  it  could  be  washed  out  in 
ten  minutes,  and  that  if  every  pan  turned  out  but  ten 
dollars,  the  results  of  a  long  day's  work  would  not  be  bad. 

Claims  lying  behind  and  above  the  ones  that  front  on 
the  creeks  are  called  "hill"  claims.  They  have  the  same 
length  of  frontage,  but  are  only  a  thousand  feet  in  width. 
In  staking  a  claim,  a  post  must  be  placed  at  each  corner 
on  the  creek,  with  the  names  of  the  claim  and  owner  and 
a  general  description  of  any  features  by  which  it  may  be 
identified;  the  locator  must  take  out  a  free  miner's  license, 
costing  seven  dollars  and  a  half,  and  file  his  claim  at  the 
mining  recorder's  office  within  ten  days  after  staking. 
No  one  can  stake  more  than  one  claim  on  a  single  creek, 
but  he  may  hold  all  that  he  cares  to  acquire  by  purchase, 
and  he  may  locate  on  other  creeks.  Development  work 
to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  dollars  must  be  done  yearly 
for  three  years,  or  that  amount  paid  to  the  mining  re- 
corder; this  amount  is  increased  to  four  hundred  dollars 
with  the  fourth  year.  The  locator  must  secure  a  certifi- 
cate to  the  effect  that  the  necessary  amount  of  yearly 
work  has  been  done,  else  the  claim  will  be  cancelled. 


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CHAPTER   XLV 

When  the  D.  R.  Camphell  drew  away  from  the  Dawson 
wharf  at  nine  o'clock  of  an  August  morning,  another  of 
my  dreams  was  "come  true."  I  was  on  my  way  down 
the  weird  and  mysterious  river  that  calls  as  powerfully  in 
its  way  as  the  North  Pacific  Ocean.  For  years  the  mere 
sound  of  the  word  "Yukon"  had  affected  me  like  the 
clash  of  a  wild  and  musical  bell.  The  sweep  of  great 
waters  was  in  it  —  the  ring  of  breaking  ice  and  its  thun- 
derous fall ;  the  roar  of  forest  fires,  of  undermined  plung- 
ing cliffs,  of  falling  trees,  of  pitiless  winds ;  the  sobs  of 
dark  women,  deserted  upon  its  shores,  with  white  children 
on  their  breasts ;  the  mournful  howls  of  dogs  and  of  their 
wild  brothers,  wolves;  the  slide  of  avalanches  and  the 
long  rattle  of  thunder  —  for  years  the  word  "Yukon"  had 
set  these  sounds  ringing  in  my  ears,  and  had  swung 
before  my  eyes  the  shifting  pictures  of  canyon,  rampart, 
and  plain  ;  of  waters  rushing  through  rock  walls  and 
again  loitering  over  vast  lowlands  to  the  sea ;  of  forestated 
mountains,  rose  thickets,  bare  hills,  pale  cliffs  of  clay,  and 
ranges  of  sublime  snow-mountains.  Yet,  with  all  that  I 
had  read,  and  all  that  I  had  heard,  and  all  that  I  had 
imagined,  I  was  unprepared  for  the  spell  of  the  Yukon; 
for  the  spaces,  the  solitude,  the  silence.  At  last  I  was  to 
learn  how  well  the  name  fits  the  river  and  the  country, 
and  how  feeble  and  how  ineffectual  are  botli  descrijDtion 
and  imagination  to  picture  this  country  so  that  it  may  be 
understood. 

485 


486  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Six  miles  below  DaAvson  the  site  of  old  Fort  Reliance  is 
passed,  and  forty-six  miles  farther  Forty-Mile  River 
pours  its  broad  flood  into  the  Yukon.  About  eight  miles 
up  this  river,  at  the  lower  end  of  a  canyon,  a  strong  cur- 
rent has  swept  many  small  boats  upon  dangerous  rocks 
and  the  occupants  have  been  drowned.  The  head  of 
the  Forty-Mile  is  but  a  short  distance  from  the  great 
Xanana. 

The  settlement  of  Forty-Mile  is  the  pioneer  mining- 
camp  of  the  Yukon.  The  Alaska  Commercial  Company 
established  a  station  here  soon  after  the  gold  excitement 
of  1887;  and,  as  the  international  boundary  line  crosses 
Forty-Mile  River  twenty-three  miles  from  its  mouth  and 
many  of  the  most  important  mining  interests  depending 
upon  the  town  for  supplies  are  on  the  American  side,  a 
bonded  warehouse  is  maintained,  from  which  American 
goods  can  be  drawn  without  the  payment  of  duties.  As 
late  as  1895  quite  a  lively  town  was  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  boasting  even  an  opera  house;  but  the  town  was 
depopulated  upon  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Klondike. 
Six  years  ago  the  settlement  was  flooded  by  water  banked 
up  in  Forty- Mile  River  by  ice,  and  the  residents  were 
taken  from  upstairs  windows  in  boats.  The  former  name 
of  this  river  was  Che-ton-deg,  or  "  Green  Leaf,"  River. 

Now  there  are  a  couple  of  dozen  log  cabins,  a  dozen  or 
more  red-roofed  houses,  and  store  buildings.  The  steamer 
pushed  up  sidewise  to  the  rocky  beach,  a  gang-plank  was 
floated  ashore,  and  a  customs  inspector  came  aboard.  On 
the  beach  were  a  couple  of  ladies,  some  members  of  the 
mounted  police  in  scarlet  coats,  and  fifty  malamute  dogs, 
snapping,  snarling,  and  fighting  like  wolves  over  the  food 
flung  from  the  steamer. 

The  dog  is  to  Alaska  what  the  horse  is  to  more  civil- 
ized countries  —  the  intelligent,  patient,  faithful  beast  of 
burden.     He    is   of    the   Eskimo  or  "  malamute "  breed, 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  487 

having  been  bred  with  the  wolf  for  endurance;  or  he  is  a 
"  husky  "  from  the  Mackenzie  River, 

Eskimo  dogs  are  driven  with  harness,  hitched  to  sleds, 
and  teams  of  five  or  seven  with  a  good  leader  can  haul 
several  hundred  pounds,  if  blessed  with  a  kind  driver.  In 
summer  they  have  nothing  to  do  but  sleep,  and  find  their 
food  as  best  they  may.  Along  the  Yukon  they  haunt 
steamer-landings  and  are  always  fed  by  the  stewards  — 
who  can  thus  muster  a  dog  fight  for  the  pleasure  of  heart- 
less passengers  at  a  moment's  notice. 

With  the  coming  of  winter  a  kind  of  electric  strength 
seems  to  enter  into  these  dogs.  They  long  for  the  harness 
and  the  journeys  over  snow  and  ice ;  and  for  a  time  they 
leap  and  frisk  like  puppies  and  will  not  be  restrained.  They 
are  about  the  size  of  a  St.  Bernard  dog,  but  of  very  differ- 
ent shape  ;  the  leader  is  always  an  intelligent  and  superior 
animal  and  his  eyes  frequently  hold  an  almost  human  appeal. 
He  is  fairly  dynamic  in  force,  and  when  not  in  harness  will 
fling  himself  upon  food  with  a  swiftness  and  a  strength 
that  suggest  a  missile  hurled  from  a  catapult.  Nothing 
can  check  his  course  ;  and  he  has  been  known  to  strike  his 
master  to  the  earth  in  his  headlong  rush  of  greeting  — 
although  it  has  been  cruelly  said  of  him  that  he  has  no 
affection  for  any  save  the  one  that  feeds  him,  and  not  for 
him  after  his  hunger  is  satisfied. 

The  Eskimo  dog  seldom  barks,  but  he  has  a  mournful, 
wolflike  howl.  His  coat  is  thick  and  somewhat  like  wool, 
and  his  feet  are  hard;  he  travels  for  great  distances  with- 
out becoming  footsore,  and  at  night  he  digs  a  deep  hole 
in  the  snow,  crawls  into  it,  curls  up  in  his  own  wool,  and 
sleeps  as  sweetly  as  a  pet  Spitz  on  a  cushion  of  down. 
His  chief  food  is  fish.  If  the  Alaska  dog  is  not  affection- 
ate, it  is  because  for  generations  he  has  had  no  cause  for 
affection.  No  dog  with  such  eyes  —  so  asking  and  so 
human-like  in    their  expression  —  could  fail   to  be  affec- 


488  ALASKA:     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tionate  and  devoted  to  a  master  possessing  the  qualities 
which  inspire  affection  and  devotion. 

In  winter  all  the  mails  are  carried  by  dogs,  covering 
hundreds  of  miles. 

Half  a  mile  below  Forty-Mile  the  town  of  Cudahy  was 
founded  in  1892  by  the  North  American  Trading  and 
Transportation  Company,  as  a  rival  settlement. 

Fifty  miles  below  Forty-Mile,  at  the  confluence  of  Mis- 
sion Creek  with  tlie  Yukon,  is  Eagle,  having  a  population 
of  three  or  four  liundred  people.  It  has  the  most  north- 
erly customs  office  and  military  post,  Fort  Egbert,  be- 
longing to  the  United  States,  and  is  the  terminus  of  the 
Valdez-Eagle  mail  route  and  telegraph  line.  It  is  also  of 
importance  as  being  but  a  few  miles  from  the  boundary. 

Fort  Egbert  is  a  two-company  post,  and  usually,  as  at 
the  time  of  our  visit,  two  companies  are  stationed  there. 
The  winter  of  1904-1905  was  the  gayest  in  the  social  his- 
tory of  the  fort.  Several  ladies,  the  wives  and  the  sisters 
of  officers,  were  there,  and  these,  with  the  wife  of  the  com- 
pany's agent  and  other  residents  of  the  town,  formed  a 
brilliant  and  relined  social  club. 

From  November  the  27th  to  January  the  16th  the  sun 
does  not  appear  above  the  hills  to  the  south.  The  two 
"  great  "  days  at  Eagle  are  the  16th  of  January,  —  "■  when 
the  sun  comes  back,"  —  and  the  day  "  when  the  ice  breaks 
in  the  river,"  usually  the  12th  of  May.  On  the  former 
occasion  the  people  assemble,  like  a  band,  of  sun-worship- 
pers, and  celebrate  its  return. 

The  vegetable  and  flower  gardens  of  Eagle  were  a  reve- 
lation of  what  may  be  expected  in  the  agricultural  and 
floral  line  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Arctic  Circle.  Potatoes, 
cabbages,  cauliflower,  lettuce,  turnips,  radishes,  and  other 
vegetables  were  in  a  state  of  spendthrift  luxuriance  that 
cannot  be  imagined  by  one  who  has  not  travelled  in  a 
country  where  vegetables  grow  day  and  night. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  489 

In  winter  Eagle  is  a  lonel}^  place.  The  only  mail  it 
receives  is  the  monthly  mail  passing  through  from  Daw- 
son to  Nome  by  dog  sleds ;  and  uo  magazines,  papers,  or 
parcels  are  carried. 

It  was  from  Eagle  that  the  first  news  was  sent  out  to 
the  world  concerning  Captain  Amundsen's  wonderful  dis- 
covery of  the  Northwest  Passage;  here  he  arrived  in  mid- 
winter after  a  long,  hard  journey  by  dog  team  from  the 
Arctic  Ocean  and  sent  out  the  news  which  so  many  brave 
navigators  of  early  days  would  have  given  their  lives  to 
be  able  to  announce. 

Within  five  years  a  railroad  will  probably  connect  Eagle 
with  the  coast  at  Valdez  ;  meantime,  there  is  a  good  gov- 
ernment trail,  poled  by  a  government  telegraph  line. 

Eagle  came  into  existence  in  1898,  and  the  fort  was 
established  in  1899. 

"  Woodings-up "  are  picturesque  features  of  Yukon 
travel.  When  the  steamer  does  not  land  at  a  wood  yard, 
mail  is  tied  around  a  stick  and  thrown  ashore.  Fancy 
standing,  a  forlorn  and  homesick  creature,  on  the  bank 
of  this  great  river  and  watching  a  letter  from  home 
caught  by  the  rushing  current  and  borne  away!  Yet 
this  frequently  happens,  for  heart  affairs  are  small 
matters  in  the  Arctic  Circle  and  receive  but  scant 
consideration. 

On  the  Upper  Yukon  wood  is  five  dollars  a  cord  ;  on 
the  Lower,  seven  dollars  ;  and  a  cord  an  hour  is  thrust 
into  the  immense  and  roaring  furnaces. 

During  "  wooding-up  "  times  passengers  go  ashore  and 
enjoy  the  forest.  There  are  red  and  black  currants,  crab- 
apples,  two  varieties  of  salmon-berries,  five  of  huckle- 
berries, and  strawberries.  The  high-bush  cranberries  are 
very  pretty,  with  their  red  berries  and  delicate  foliage. 

Nation  is  a  settlement  of  a  dozen  log  cabins  roofed  with 
dirt  and  flowers,  the  roofs  projecting  prettily  over   the 


490       ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

front  porches.  The  wife  of  the  storekeeper  has  lived 
liere  twenty-five  years,  and  has  been  "  outside  "  only  once 
in  twelve  years.  Passengers  usually  go  ashore  especially 
to  meet  her,  and  are  always  cordially  welcomed,  but  are 
never  permitted  to  condole  with  her  on  her  isolated  life. 
The  spell  of  the  Yukon  has  her  in  thrall,  and  content 
shines  upon  her  brow  as  a  star.  Those  who  go  ashore  to 
pity,  return  with  the  dull  ache  of  envy  in  their  worldly 
hearts  ;  for  there  be  things  on  the  Yukon  that  no  worldly 
heart  can  understand. 

We  left  Eagle  in  the  forenoon  and  at  midnight  landed 
at  Circle  City,  which  received  this  name  because  it  was 
first  supposed  to  be  located  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  We 
found  natives  building  houses  at  that  hour,  and  this  is 
my  most  vivid  remembrance  of  Circle.  Gold  was  dis- 
covered on  Birch  Creek,  within  eight  miles  of  the  settle- 
ment, as  early  as  1892  ;  and  until  the  Klondike  excite- 
ment this  was  the  most  populous  camp  on  the  Yukon, 
more  than  a  thousand  miners  being  quartered  in  the 
vicinity.  Like  other  camps,  it  was  then  depopulated  ; 
but  many  miners  have  now  returned  and  a  brilliant  dis- 
covery in  this  vicinity  may  yet  startle  the  world.  The 
output  of  gold  for  1906  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars.  About  three  hundred  miners  are  operating 
on  tributaries  up  Birch  Creek.  The  great  commercial 
companies  are  established  at  all  these  settlements  on  the 
Yukon,  where  they  have  large  stores  and  warehouses. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  we  were  on  deck  to 
cross  the  Arctic  Circle.  One  has  a  feeling  that  a  line 
with  icicles  dangling  from  it  must  be  strung  overhead, 
under  which  one  passes  into  the  enchanted  realm  of  the 
real  North. 

"  Feel  that  ?  "  asked  the  man  from  Iowa  of  a  big,  un- 
smiling Englishman. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  491 

"Feel  —  er — what?"  said  the  Englishman. 

"  That  shock.  It  felt  like  stepping  on  the  third  rail  of 
an  electric  railway." 

But  the  Iowa  humor  was  scorned,  and  the  Englishman 
walked  away. 

We  soon  landed  at  Fort  Yukon,  the  only  landing  in  the 
Arctic  Circle  and  the  most  northerly  point  on  the  Yukon. 
This  post  was  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  Porcupine 
in  1847  by  A.  H.  McMurray,  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pan}^  and  was  moved  in  1864  a  mile  lower  on  the  Yukon, 
on  account  of  the  undermining  of  the  bank  by  the  wash 
of  the  river.  During  the  early  days  of  this  post  goods 
were  brought  from  York  Factory  on  Hudson  Bay,  four 
thousand  miles  distant,  and  were  two  years  in  transit. 
The  whole  Hudson  Bay  system,  according  to  Dall,  was 
one  of  exacting  tyranny  that  almost  equalled  that  of  the 
Russian  Company.  The  white  men  were  urged  to  marry 
Indian,  or  native,  women,  to  attach  them  to  the  country. 
The  provisions  sent  in  were  few  and  these  were  consumed 
by  the  commanders  of  the  trading  posts  or  given  to  chiefs, 
to  induce  them  to  bring  in  furs.  The  white  men  received 
three  pounds  of  tea  and  six  of  sugar  annually,  and  no  flour. 
This  scanty  supply  was  uncertain  and  often  failed.  Two 
suits  of  clothes  were  granted  to  the  men,  but  nothing  else 
until  the  furs  were  all  purchased.  If  anything  remained 
after  the  Indians  were  satisfied,  the  men  were  permitted  to 
purchase  ;  but  Indians  are  rarely  satisfied. 

Fort  Yukon  has  never  been  of  importance  as  a  mining 
centre,  but  has  long  been  a  great  fur  trading  post  for  the 
Indians  up  the  Porcupine.  This  trade  has  waned,  how- 
ever, and  little  remains  but  an  Indian  village  and  the  old 
buildings  of  the  post.  We  walked  a  mile  into  the  woods 
to  an  old  graveyard  in  a  still,  dim  grove,  probably  the 
only  one  in  the  Arctic  Circle. 


CHAPTER   XLVI 

The  Yukon  is  a  mighty  and  a  beautiful  river,  and  its 
memory  becomes  more  haunting  and  more  compelling 
with  the  passage  of  time.  From  the  slender  blue  stream 
of  its  source,  it  grows,  in  its  twenty-three  hundred  miles  of 
wandering  to  the  sea,  to  a  width  of  sixty  miles  at  its  mouth. 
In  its  great  course  it  widens,  narrows,  and  widens  ;  cuts 
through  the  foot-hills  of  vast  mountain  systems,  spreads 
over  flats,  makes  many  splendid  sweeping  curves,  and 
slides  into  hundreds  of  narrow  channels  around  spruce- 
covered  islands. 

It  is  divided  into  four  great  districts,  each  of  which  has 
its  own  characteristic  features.  The  valley  extending 
from  White  Horse  to  some  distance  below  Dawson  is 
called  the  "  upper  Yukon,"  or  "  upper  Ramparts,"  the 
river  having  a  width  of  half  a  mile  and  a  current  of  four 
or  five  miles  an  hour,  and  the  valley  in  this  district  being 
from  one  to  three  miles  in  width. 

Following  this  are  the  great  "Flats"  —  of  which  one 
hears  from  his  first  hour  on  the  Yukon  ;  then,  the  "  Ram- 
parts"; and  last,  the  "lower  Yukon"  or  "lower  river." 

The  Flats  are  vast  lowlands  stretching  for  two  hundred 
miles  along  the  river,  with  a  width  in  places  of  a  hundred 
miles.  Their  very  monotony  is  picturesque  and  fascinates 
by  its  immensity.  Countless  islands  are  constantly  form- 
ing, appearing  and  disappearing  in  the  whimsical  changes 
of  the  currents.  Indian,  white,  and  half-breed  pilots 
patrol    these    reaches,    guiding    one    steamer    down    and 

492 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  493 

another  up,  and  by  constant  travel  keeping  themselves 
fairly  familiar  with  the  changing  currents.  Yet  even 
these  pilots  frequently  fail  in  their  calculations. 

At  Eagle  a  couple  of  gentlemen  joined  our  party  down 
the  river  on  the  Campbell.,  expecting  to  meet  the  same  day 
and  return  on  the  famous  Sarah  —  as  famous  as  a  steamer 
as  is  the  island  of  the  same  name  on  the  inland  passage  ; 
but  they  went  on  and  on  and  the  Sarah  came  not.  One 
day,  two  days,  three  days,  went  by  and  they  were  still 
with  us.  One  was  in  the  customs  service  and  his  time 
was  precious.  Whenever  we  approached  a  bend  in  the 
river,  they  stood  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  eagerly  staring 
ahead  ;  but  not  until  the  fourth  day  did  the  cry  of 
"iS'araA"  ring  through  our  steamer.  Hastening  on  deck, 
we  beheld  her,  white  and  shining,  on  a  sand-bar,  where 
she  had  been  lying  for  several  days,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  she  had  an  experienced  pilot  aboard. 

Throughout  the  Flats  lies  a  vast  network  of  islands, 
estimated  as  high  as  ten  thousand  in  number,  threaded 
by  countless  channels,  many  of  which  have  strong  currents, 
while  others  are  but  still,  sluggish  sloughs.  Mountains 
line  the  far  horizon  lines,  but  so  far  away  that  they  fre- 
quently appear  as  clouds  of  bluish  pearl  piled  along  the 
sky;  at  other  times  snow-peaks  are  distinctly  visible. 
Cottonwoods,  birches,  and  spruce  trees  cover  the  islands 
so  heavily  that,  from  the  lower  deck  of  a  steamer,  one 
would  believe  that  he  was  drifting  down  the  single  chan- 
nel of  a  narrow  river,  instead  of  down  one  channel  of  a 
river  twenty  miles  wide. 

It  is  within  the  Arctic  Circle  that  the  Yukon  makes  its 
sweeping  bend  from  its  northwest  course  to  the  south- 
west, and  here  it  is  entered  by  the  Porcupine  ;  twenty 
miles  farther,  by  the  Chandelar  ;  and  just  above  the  Ram- 
parts, by  the  Dall.  These  are  the  three  important  rivers 
of  this  stretch  of  the  Yukon. 


494  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT   COUNTRY 

Many  complain  of  the  monotony  of  the  FLats  ;  but  for 
me,  there  was  not  one  dull  or  uninteresting  hour  on  the 
Yukon.  In  my  quiet  home  on  summer  evenings  I  can 
still  see  the  men  taking  soundings  from  the  square  bow  of 
our  steamer  and  hear  their  lioarse  cries  :  — 

"  Six  feet  starboard  !  Five  feet  port  !  Seven  feet  star- 
board !  Five  feet  port  !  Five  feet  starboard  !  Four  feet 
port  !  "  At  the  latter  cry  the  silent  watchers  of  the  pilot- 
house came  to  attention,  and  we  proceeded  under  slow  bell 
until  a  greater  depth  was  reached. 

On  the  shores,  as  we  swept  past,  we  caught  glimpses  of 
dark  figures  and  Indian  villages,  or,  farther  down  the 
river,  primitive  Eskimo  settlements  ;  and  the  stillness, 
the  pure  and  sparkling  air,  the  untouched  wilderness,  the 
blue  smoke  of  a  wood-chopper's  lonely  fire,  the  wide  spaces 
swimming  over  us  and  on  all  sides  of  us,  charmed  our 
senses  as  only  the  elemental  forces  of  nature  can  charm. 
One  longs  to  stay  awake  always  on  this  river  ;  to  pace 
the  wide  decks  and  be  one  with  the  solitude  and  the  still- 
ness that  are  not  of  the  earth,  as  we  know  it,  but  of  God, 
as  we  have  dreamed  of  him. 

The  blue  hills  of  the  Ramparts  are  seen  long  before  en- 
tering them.  The  valley  contracts  into  a  kind  of  canyon, 
from  which  the  rampart-like  walls  of  solid  stone  rise 
abruptly  from  the  water.  The  hills  are  not  so  high  as 
those  of  the  Upper  Ramparts,  which  bear  marked  resem- 
blance to  the  lower  ;  and  although  many  consider  the 
latter  more  picturesque,  I  must  confess  that  I  found  no 
beauty  below  Dawson  so  majestic  as  that  above.  Many 
of  the  hills  here  have  a  rose-colored  tinge,  like  the  hills 
of  Lake  Bennett. 

In  places  the  river  does  not  reach  a  width  of  half  a 
mile  and  is  deep  and  swift.  The  shadows  between  the 
high  rock-bluffs  and  pinnacled  cliffs  take  on  the  mysteri- 
ous purple  tones  of  twilight ;  many  of  the  hills  are  cov- 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  495 

ered  with  spruce,  wljose  dark  green  blends  agreeably  with 
the  gray  and  rose  color.  The  bends  here  are  sharp  and 
many  ;  at  the  Rapids  the  current  is  exceedingly  rapid, 
and  Dall  reported  a  fall  of  twelve  feet  to  the  half  mile, 
with  the  water  running  in  sheets  of  foam  over  a  granite 
island  in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  This  was  on  June  1, 
1866.  In  August,  1883,  Schwatka,  after  many  hours  of 
anxiety  and  dread  of  the  reputed  rapids,  inquired  of 
Indians  and  learned  that  he  had  already  passed  them. 
They  were  not  formidable  at  the  time  of  our  voyage,  — 
August,  —  and  it  is  only  during  high  stages  of  water  that 
they  present  a  bar  to  navigation. 

We  reached  Rampart  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
After  Tanana,  this  is  the  loveliest  place  on  the  Yukon. 
Its  sparkling,  emerald  beauty  shone  under  a  silvery  blue 
sky.  There  was  a  long  street  of  artistic  log  houses  and 
stores  on  a  commanding  bluff,  up  which  paths  wound 
from  the  water.  Roofs  covered  with  earth  and  flowers, 
carried  out  in  brilliant  bloom  over  the  porches,  added  the 
characteristic  Yukon  touch.  Every  dooryard  and  win- 
dow blazed  with  color.  Narrow  paths  ran  through  tall 
fireweed  and  grasses  over  and  around  the  hill  —  each 
path  terminating,  like  a  winding  lane,  in  a  pretty  log- 
cabin  home.  There  was  an  atmosphere  of  cleanliness, 
tidiness,  and  thrift  not  found  in  other  settlements  along 
the  Yukon. 

Captain  Mayo,  who,  with  McQuesten,  founded  Rampart 
in  1873,  still  lives  here.  The  two  commercial  companies 
have  large  stores  and  warehouses  ;  and  residences  were 
comfortably,  and  even  luxuriously,  furnished. 

Rampart  is  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles  below  Fort 
Yukon,  and  is  about  halfway  between  Dawson  and  the 
sea.  It  has  a  population  of  four  or  five  hundred  people 
—  when  they  are  in  from  the  mines  !  —  and  almost  as 
many  fighting,  hungry  dogs.     Its  street  winds,  and  the 


496  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    (JOUNriiY 

buildings  follow  its  windings  ;  sometimes  it  stops  alto- 
gether, and  the  buildings  stop  with  it  —  then  both  go  on 
again ;  and  in  front  of  all  the  public  buildings  are  clean 
rustic  benches,  where  one  may  sit  and  "  look  to  the  rose 
about  him."  The  river  here  is  half  a  mile  wide,  and  on 
its  opposite  shore  the  green  fields  of  the  government  ex- 
perimental station  slope  uj)  from  the  water. 

Gold  was  discovered  on  Minook  Creek,  half  a  mile  from 
town,  in  1895,  and  the  camp  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  even  producers  in  Alaska.  In  1906,  despite  an  un- 
usually dry  season,  the  output  of  the  district  was  three 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  we  reached  Tanana, 
which  is,  as  I  have  said,  the  most  beautiful  place  on  the 
Yukon.  It  has  a  splendid  site  on  a  level  plateau  ;  and 
all  the  springlike  greenness,  the  cleanliness  and  order, 
the  luxuriant  vegetation,  of  Dawson,  are  outdone  here. 
One  walks  in  a  maze  of  delight  along  streets  of  tropic,  in- 
stead of  arctic,  bloom.  The  log  houses  are  set  far  back 
from  the  streets,  and  the  deep  dooryards  are  seas  of  tremu- 
lous color,  through  which  neat  paths  lead  to  flower-roofed 
homes.  Cleanliness,  color,  and  perfume  are  everywhere 
delights,  but  on  the  lonely  Yukon  their  unexpectedness 
is  enchanting. 

In  1900  Fort  Gibbon  was  established  here,  and  this 
post  has  the  most  attractive  surroundings  of  any  in  Alaska. 
Tanana  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tanana  River, 
seventy-five  miles  below  Rampart,  and  passengers  for 
Fairbanks  connect  here  with  luxurious  steamers  for  a 
voyage  of  three  hundred  miles  up  the  Tanana.  It  is  a 
beautiful  voyage  and  it  ends  at  the  most  progressive  and 
metropolitan  town  of  the  North. 


CHAPTER   XLVII 

In  the  autumn  of  1902  Felix  Pedro,  an  experienced 
miner  and  prospector,  crossed  the  divide  between  Birch 
and  McManns  creeks  and  entered  the  Tanana  Valley. 

Previous  to  that  year  many  people  had  travelled 
through  the  valley,  on  their  way  to  the  Klondike,  by  the 
Valdez  route  ;  and  a  few  miners  from  the  Birch  Creek 
and  Forty-Mile  diggings  had  wandered  into  the  Tanana 
country,  without  being  able  to  do  any  important  prospect- 
ing because  of  the  distance  from  supplies;  but  Pedro  was 
the  first  man  to  discover  that  gold  existed  in  economic 
quantities  in  this  region,  and  his  coming  was  an  event  of 
historical  importance. 

One  of  the  best  tests  of  the  importance  ant^  value  of 
geological  survey  work  lies  in  the  significant  report  of 
Mr.  Alfred  H.  Brooks  for  the  year  of  1898 — four  years 
before  the  discoveries  of  Mr.  Pedro  :  — 

"We  have  seen  that  the  little  prospecting  which  has 
been  done  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  too  hurried  and 
too  superficial  to  be  regarded  as  a  fair  test  of  the  region. 
Our  best  information  leads  us  to  believe  that  the  same 
horizons  which  carry  gold  in  the  Forty-Mile  and  Birch 
Creek  districts  are  represented  in  the  Tanana  and  White 
River  basins.  ...  I  should  advise  prospectors  to  care- 
fully investigate  the  small  tributary  streams  of  the  lower 
White  and  of  the  Tanana  from  Mirror  Creek  to  the 
mouth." 

Pedro's  discovery  was  on  the  creek  which  bears  his 
2  k  497 


498       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

name,  and  before  another  year  gold  was  discovered  on 
several  other  creeks.  In  1901  a  trading  post  was  estab- 
lished by  Captain  E.  T.  Barnette,  on  the  present  site  of 
Fairbanks,  and  the  development  of  the  country  progressed 
rapidly.  The  F'airbanks  Mining  District  was  organized 
and  named  for  the  present  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  autumn  of  1903  eight  hundred  people 
were  in  the  district,  and  about  thirty  thousand  dollars 
had  been  produced,  the  more  important  creeks  at  that 
time  being  Pedro,  Goldstream,  Twin  Creek,  Cleary,  Wolf, 
Chatham,  and  Fairbanks.  In  the  fall  of  1901  nearly 
four  thousand  miners  had  come  in,  and  the  year's  output 
was  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Fairbanks 
and  Chena  had  grown  to  thriving  camps,  and  a  brilliant 
prosperity  reigned  in  the  entire  district.  Roads  were 
built  to  the  creeks,  sloughs  were  bridged,  and  Fairbanks' 
"  boom  "  was  in  full  swing.  It  v/as  the  old  story  of  a 
camp  growing  from  tents  to  shacks  in  a  night,  from 
shacks  to  three-story  buildings  in  a  month.  The  glory 
of  the  Klondike  trembled  and  paled  in  the  brilliance 
of  that  of  Fairbanks.  Every  steamer  for  Valdez  was 
crowded  with  men  and  women  bound  for  the  new  camp 
by  way  of  the  Valdez  trail;  while  thousands  went  by 
steamer,  either  to  St.  Michael  and  up  the  Yukon,  or 
to  Skaguay  and  down  the  Yukon,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Tanana. 

Fairbanks  is  now  a  camp  only  in  name.  It  has  all  the 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  a  city,  and  is  more  prosperous 
and  progressive  than  any  other  town  in  Alaska  or  the 
Yukon.  It  started  with  such  a  rush  that  it  does  not  seem 
to  be  able  to  stop.  It  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Third 
Judicial  District  of  Alaska,  which  was  formerly  at  Ram- 
part ;  it  has  electric  light  and  water  systems,  a  fire  de- 
partment, excellent  and  modern  hotels,  schools,  churches, 
hospitals,  daily  newspapers,  a  telegraph  line  to  the  outside 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  499 

world  which  is  operated  by  the  government,  and  a  tele- 
phone system  which  serves  not  only  the  city,  but  all  the 
creeks  as  well. 

The  Tanana  Mines  Railway,  or  Tanana  Valley  Railway, 
as  it  is  now  called,  was  built  in  1905  to  connect  Fairbanks 
with  Chena  and  the  richest  mining  claims  of  the  district ; 
and  two  great  railroads  are  in  course  of  construction 
from  Prince  William  Sound. 

In  1906  the  output  of  gold  was  more  than  nine  millions 
of  dollars,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  labor  troubles  in 
1907,  this  output  would  have  been  doubled.  In  the 
earlier  days  of  the  camp  the  crudest  methods  of  mining 
were  emploj^ed ;  but  with  the  improved  transportation 
facilities,  modern  machinery  was  brought  in  and  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  development  were  greatly  lessened. 

Upon  a  first  trip  to  Fairbanks,  the  visitor  is  amazed 
at  the  size  and  the  metropolitan  style  and  tone  of  this 
six-year-old  camp  in  the  wilderness. 

It  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Chena  River,  about 
nine  miles  from  its  confluence  with  the  Tanana.  It  has 
a  level  town  site,  which  looks  as  though  it  might  ex- 
tend to  the  Arctic  Circle.  The  main  portion  of  the 
town  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  the  railway 
terminal  yards,  saw-mills,  manufacturing  plants,  and  in- 
dustries of  a  similar  nature  being  located  on  the  oppo- 
site shore,  on  what  is  known  as  Garden  Island,  the 
two  being  connected  by  substantial  bridges.  The  city 
is  incorporated  and,  like  other  incorporated  towns  of 
Alaska,  is  governed  by  a  council  of  seven  members, 
who  elect  a  presiding  officer  who  is,  by  courtesy,  known 
as  mayor.  The  executive  officers  of  the  municipal  gov- 
ernment consist  of  a  clerk,  treasurer,  police  magistrate, 
chief  of  police,  chief  of  the  fire  department,  street  com- 
missioner, and  physician. 

The    municipal  finances    are    derived  from  a  share  in 


500  ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

federal  licenses,  from  the  income  derived  from  the  local 
court,  from  poll  taxes,  and  from  local  taxation  of  real 
and  personal  property.  From  all  these  sources  the 
municipal  treasury  was  enriched  during  the  year  of  1906 
by  about  ninety-five  thousand  dollars. 

Each  of  the  three  banks  operates  an  assay  office  under 
the  supervision  of  an  expert.  The  population  of  the  dis- 
trict is  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand,  of  which  five 
thousand  belong  permanently  to  the  town.  The  climate 
is  dry  and  sparkling ;  the  summers  are  delightful,  the 
winters  still  and  not  colder  than  those  of  Minnesota, 
Montana,  and  the  Dakotas,  but  without  the  blizzards  of 
those  states.  In  1906  the  coldest  month  was  January, 
the  daily  mean  temperature  being  thirty-six  degrees  below 
zero,  but  dry  and  still.  Travel  over  the  trail  by  dog  team 
is  continued  throughout  the  winter,  skating  and  other 
outdoor  sports  being  as  common  as  in  Canada. 

Five  saw-mills  are  in  operation,  with  an  aggregate  daily 
capacity  of  a  hundred  and  ten  thousand  feet,  tlie  entire 
product  being  used  locally.  There  is  an  abundance  of 
poplar,  spruce,  hemlock,  and  birch ;  an  unlimited  water 
supply ;  a  municipal  steam-heating  plant  ;  two  good  hos- 
pitals ;  two  daily  newspapers  ;  graded  schools, —  the  four- 
year  course  of  the  high  school  admitting  the  student  to 
the  Washington  State  University  and  to  high  educational 
institutions  of  other  states;  a  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
a  Business  Men's  Association  ;  twelve  hotels,  five  of  which 
are  first  class  ;  while  every  industry  is  represented  several 
times  over. 

This  is  Fairbanks,  the  six-year-old  mining-camp  of  the 
Tanana  Valley. 


CHAPTER   XLVIII 

At  Tanana  our  party  was  enlarged  by  a  party  of  four 
gentlemen,  headed  by  Governor  Wilford  B.  Hoggatt,  of 
Juneau,  who  was  on  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the  country 
he  serves. 

Our  steamer,  too,  underwent  a  change  while  we  were 
ashore.  We  now  learned  why  its  bow  was  square  and 
wide.  It  was  that  it  might  push  barges  up  and  down  the 
Yukon  ;  and  it  now  proceeded,  under  our  astonished  eyes, 
to  push  four,  each  of  which  was  nearly  as  large  as  itself. 
All  the  days  of  my  life,  as  Mr.  Pepys  wotdd  say,  I  have 
never  beheld  such  an  object  floating  upon  the  water. 
The  barges  were  fastened  in  front  of  us  and  on  both  sides 
of  us;  two  were  flat  and  uncovered,  one  was  covered,  but 
open  on  the  sides,  while  the  fourth  was  a  kind  of  boat  and 
was  crowned  with  a  real  pilot-house,  in  which  was  a  real 
wheel. 

We  viewed  them  in  open  and  hostile  dismay,  not  yet 
recognizing  them  as  blessings  in  disguise  ;  we  then  laughed 
till  we  wept,  over  our  amazing  appearance  as  we  went 
sweeping,  bebarged,  down  to  the  sea.  Four  barges  to  one 
steamboat !  One  barge  would  have  seemed  like  an  insult, 
but  four  were  perfectly  ridiculous.  The  governor  was 
told  that  they  constituted  his  escort  of  honor,  but  he  would 
not  smile.  He  was  in  haste  to  get  to  Nome  ;  and  barges 
meant  delay. 

We  swept  down  the  Yukon  like  a  huge  bird  with  wide 
wings    outspread;    and    those    of    us    who  did  not    care 

501 


502       ALASKA :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

whether  we  went  upon  a  sand-bar  or  not  soon  became  in- 
fatuated with  barges.  Straight  in  front  of  our  steamer 
we  had,  on  one  barge,  a  low,  clean  promenade  a  hundred 
feet  long  by  fifty  wide;  on  the  others  were  shady,  se- 
cluded nooks,  where  one  might  lie  on  rugs  and  cushions, 
reading  or  dreaming,  ever  and  anon  catching  glimpses 
of  native  settlements  —  tents  and  cabins  ;  thousands  of 
coral-red  salmon  drying  on  frames  ;  groups  of  howling 
dogs  ;  dozens  of  silent  dark  people  sitting  or  standing 
motionless,  staring  at  their  whiter  and  more  fortunate 
brothers  sweeping  past  them  on  the  rushing  river. 

Poor,  lonely,  dark  people  !  As  lonely  and  as  mysterious, 
as  little  known  and  as  little  understood,  as  the  mighty 
river  on  whose  shores  their  few  and  hard  days  are  spent. 
Little  we  know  of  them,  and  less  we  care  for  them.  The 
hopeless  tragedy  of  their  race  is  in  their  long,  yearning 
gaze  ;  but  we  read  it  not.  We  look  at  them  in  idle  curi- 
osity as  we  flash  past  them ;  and  each  year,  as  we  return, 
we  find  them  fewer,  lonelier,  —  more  like  dark  sphinxes 
on  the  river's  banks.  As  the  years  pass  and  their 
numbers  diminish,  the  mournfulness  deepens  in  their 
gaze  ;  it  becomes  more  questioning,  more  haunting.  The 
day  will  come  when  they  will  all  be  gone,  when  no  longer 
dark  figures  will  people  those  lonely  shores  ;  and  then  we 
will  look  at  one  another  in  useless  remorse  and  cry  :  — 

"  Why  did  they  not  complain  ?  Why  did  they  not  ask 
us  to  help  them  ?  Why  did  they  sit  and  starve  for  every- 
thing, staring  at  us  and  making  no  sign  ?  " 

Alas  !  when  that  day  comes,  we  will  learn  —  too  late  ! 
—  that  there  is  no  appeal  so  poignant  and  so  haunting  as 
that  which  lies  in  the  silence  and  in  the  asking  eyes  of 
these  dark  and  vanishing  people. 

Below  Rampart  the  hills  withdraw  gradually  until  they 
become  but  blue  blurs  on  the  horizon  line  during  the  last 
miles   of  the   river's  course.     It  is  now  the  lower  river 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  503 

and  becomes  beautifully  channelled  and  islanded.  Across 
these  low,  wooded,  and  watered  plains  the  sunset  burns 
like  a  maze  of  thistledown  touched  with  ruby  fire  —  burns 
down,  at  last,  into  the  rose  of  dawn  ;  and  the  rose  into 
emerald,  beryl,  and  pearl. 

Not  far  above  Nulato  the  Koyukuk  pours  its  tawny 
flood  into  the  Yukon.  For  many  years  the  Koyukuk  has 
given  evidences  of  great  richness  in  gold,  but  high  prices 
of  freight  and  labor  have  retarded  its  progress.  During 
the  past  winter,  however,  discoveries  have  been  made 
which  promise  one  of  the  greatest  stampedes  ever  known. 
Louis  Olson,  after  several  seasons  in  the  district,  experi- 
enced a  gambler's  "hunch"  that  there  "was  pay  on 
Nolan  Creek."  He  and  his  associates  started  to  sink,  and 
the  first  bucket  they  got  off  bedrock  netted  seven  dollars  ; 
the  bedrock,  a  slate,  pitched  to  one  side  of  the  hole,  and 
when  they  had  followed  it  down  and  struck  a  level  bed- 
rock, they  got  two  hundred  and  sixty  dollars. 

"  Our  biggest  pan,"  said  Mr.  Olson,  telling  the  story 
when  he  came  out,  one  of  the  richest  men  in  Alaska,  "  was 
eighteen  hundred  dollars.  You  can  see  the  gold  lying  in 
sight." 

Captain  E.  W.  Johnson,  of  Nome,  who  had  grub-staked 
two  men  in  the  Koyukuk,  "  fell  into  it,"  as  miners  say. 
They  struck  great  richness  on  bedrock,  and  Captain  John- 
son promptly  celebrated  the  strike  by  opening  fifteen 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  champagne  to  the  camp. 

Within  ten  days  three  pans  of  a  thousand  dollars  each 
were  washed  out.  Coldfoot,  Bettles,  Bergman,  and 
Koyukuk  are  the  leading  settlements  of  this  region,  the 
first  two  lying  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  Interest  has  re- 
vived in  the  Chandelar  country  which  adjoins  on  the  east. 

Really,  Seward's  "  land  of  icebergs,  polar  bears,  and 
walrus,"  his  "  worthless,  God-forsaken  region,"  is  doing 
fairly  well,  as  countries  go. 


504  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Nulato,  nearly  three  hundred  miles  below  Tanana,  is 
one  of  the  most  historic  places  on  the  Yukon,  and  has  the 
most  sanguinary  history.  It  was  founded  in  1838  by  a 
Russian  half-breed  named  Malakoff,  who  built  a  trading 
post.  During  the  following  winter,  owing  to  scarcity  of 
provisions,  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  St.  Michael, 
and  the  buildings  were  burned  by  natives  who  were  jeal- 
ous of  the  advance  of  white  people  up  the  river.  The 
following  year  the  post  was  reestablished  and  was  again 
destroyed.  In  1841  Derabin  erected  a  fort  at  this  point, 
and  for  ten  years  the  settlement  flourished.  In  1851, 
however.  Lieutenant  Bernard,  of  the  British  ship  Enter- 
prise, arrived  in  search  of  information  as  to  the  fate  of  Sir 
John  Franklin.  Unfortunately,  he  remarked  that  he  in- 
tended to  "send  for  "  the  principal  chief  of  the  Koyukuks. 
This  was  considered  an  insult  by  the  haughty  chief,  and 
it  led  to  an  assault  upon  the  fort,  which  was  destroyed. 
Derabin,  Bernard  and  his  companions,  and  all  other  white 
people  at  the  fort  were  brutall}^  murdered,  as  well  as 
many  resident  Indians.     The  atrocity  was  never  avenged. 

Nulato  is  now  one  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous 
Indian  settlements  on  the  river.  A  large  herd  of  reindeer 
is  quartered  there.  There  was,  as  every  one  interested  in 
Alaska  knows,  a  grave  scandal  connected  with  the  rein- 
deer industry  a  few  years  ago.  Many  of  the  animals  im- 
ported by  the  government  from  Siberia  at  great  expense, 
for  the  benefit  of  needy  natives  and  miners,  were  appro- 
priated by  missionaries  without  authority  ;  but  after  an 
investigation  by  a  special  agent  of  the  government  there 
was  an  entire  reorganization  of  the  system.  In  all.  Con- 
gress appropriated  more  than  two  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  with  which  twelve  hundred  reindeer 
have,  at  various  times,  been  imported.  There  are  now 
about  twelve  thousand  head  in  Alaska,  of  which  the  gov- 
ernment owns  not  more  than  twenty-five  hundred.     There 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  505 

are  also  stations  at  Bethel,  Beetles,  Iliamna,  Kotzebue, 
St.  Lawrence  Island,  Golovnin,  Teller,  Cape  Prince  of 
"Wales,  Point  Barrow,  and  at  several  other  points.  They 
are  used  for  sledding  purposes  and  for  their  meat  and 
hides,  really  beautiful  parkas  and  mukluks  —  the  latter 
a  kind  of  skin  boot  —  being  made  of  the  hides. 

A  native  woman  named  Mary  Andrewuk  has  a  large 
herd,  is  quite  wealthy,  and  is  known  as  the  "  Reindeer 
Queen." 

We  reached  Anvik  at  seven  in  the  evening.  Anvik 
is  like  Uyak  on  Kadiak  Island,  and  I  longed  for  the 
frank  Swedish  sailor  who  had  so  luminously  described 
Uyak.  If  there  be  an3'thing  worth  seeing  at  Anvik  — 
and  they  say  there  is  a  graveyard!  —  they  must  first  kill 
the  mosquitoes  ;  else,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  it  will 
forever  remain  unseen.  Under  a  rocky  bluff  two  dozen 
Eskimo,  men  and  women,  sat  fighting  mosquitoes  and 
trying  to  sell  wares  so  poorly  made  that  no  one  desired 
them.  Eskimo  dolls  and  toy  parkas  were  the  only  things 
that  tempted  us  ;  and  hastily  paying  for  them,  we  fled  on 
board  to  our  big,  comfortable  stateroom,  whose  window 
was  securely  netted  from  the  pests  which  made  the  very 
air  black. 

We  left  Anvik  at  midnight.  We  were  to  arrive  at 
Holy  Cross  Mission  at  four  o'clock  the  same  morning. 
Expecting  the  Campbell  to  arrive  later  in  the  day,  the 
priest  and  sisters  had  arranged  a  reception  for  the  gov- 
ernor, in  which  the  children  of  the  mission  were  to  take 
part.  Thinking  of  the  disappointment  of  the  children, 
the  governor  decided  to  go  ashore,  even  at  that  unearthly 
hour,  and  we  were  invited  to  accompany  him.  We  were 
awakened  at  three  o'clock. 

The  dawn  was  bleak  and  cheerless ;  it  was  raining 
slightly,  and  the  mosquitoes  were  as  thick  and  as 
hungry  as  they  had  been  at  the  Grand  Canyon.     Of  all 


506  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

the  passengers  that  had  planned  to  go  ashore,  there 
appeared  upon  the  sloppy  deck  only  four  —  the  governor, 
a  gentleman  who  was  travelling  with  him,  my  friend,  and 
myself.  We  looked  at  one  another  silently  through  rain 
and  mosquitoes,  and  before  we  could  muster  up  smiles 
and  exchange  greetings,  an  officer  of  the  boat  called  out:  — 

"  Governor,  if  it  wasn't  for  those  damn  disappointed 
children,  I'd  advise  you  not  to  go  ashore." 

We  all  smiled  tlien,  for  the  man  had  put  the  thought 
of  each  of  us  into  most  forcible  English. 

We  were  landed  upon  the  wet  sand  and  we  waded  through 
the  tall  wet  grasses  of  the  beach  to  the  mission.  At  every 
step  fresh  swarms  of  mosquitoes  rose  from  the  grass  and 
assailed  us.  A  gentleman  had  sent  us  his  mosquito  hats. 
These  were  simply  broad-brimmed  felt  hats,  with  the 
netting  gathered  about  the  crowns  and  a  kind  of  harness 
fastening  around  the  waist. 

The  governor  had  no  protection  ;  and  never,  I  am  sure, 
did  any  governor  go  forth  to  a  reception  and  a  "  pro- 
gramme "  in  his  honor  in  such  a  frame  of  mind  and  with 
such  an  expression  of  torture  as  went  that  morning  the 
governor  of  "the  great  country."  It  was  a  silent  and 
dismal  procession  that  moved  up  the  flower-bordered  walk 
to  the  mission  —  a  procession  of  waving  arms  and  flapping 
handkerchiefs.  At  a  distance  it  must  have  resembled  a 
procession  of  windmills  in  operation,  rather  than  of  human 
beings  on  their  way  to  a  reception  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Arctic  Circle. 

So  ceaseless  and  so  ferocious  Avere  the  attacks  of  the 
mosquitoes  that  before  the  sleeping  children  were  aroused 
and  ready  for  their  programme,  my  friend  and  I,  notwith- 
standing the  protection  of  the  hats,  yielded  in  sheer  ex- 
haustion, and,  without  apology  or  farewell,  left  the  unfor- 
tunate governor  to  pay  the  penalty  of  greatness  ;  left  him 
to  his  reception  and  his  programme  ;  to  the  earnest  priests. 


ALASKA:    THE    GEE  AT    COUNTRY  507 

the  smiling,  sweet-faced  sisters,  and  the  little  solemn-eyed 
Eskimo  children. 

This  mission  is  cared  for  by  the  order  of  Jesuits.  Two 
priests  and  several  brothers  and  sisters  reside  there. 
Fifty  or  more  children  are  cared  for  yearly,  —  educated 
and  guided  in  ways  of  thrift,  cleanliness,  industry,  and 
morality.  They  are  instructed  in  all  kinds  of  useful 
work.  About  forty  acres  of  land  are  in  cultivation;  the 
flowers  and  vegetables  which  we  saw  would  attract 
admiration  and  wonder  in  any  climate.  The  buildings 
were  of  logs,  but  were  substantially  built  and  attractive, 
each  in  its  setting  of  brilliant  bloom.  How  these  sisters, 
these  gentle  and  refined  women,  whose  faces  and  manner 
unconsciously  reveal  superior  breeding  and  position,  can 
endure  the  daily  and  nightly  tortures  of  the  mosquitoes 
is  inconceivable. 

"  They  are  not  worth  notice  now,"  one  said,  with  her 
sweet  and  patient  smile.  "  Oh,  no !  You  should  come 
earlier  if  you  would  see  mosquitoes." 

"Our  religion,  you  know,"  another  said  gently,  "helps 
us  to  bear  all  things  that  are  not  pleasant.  In  time  one 
does  not  mind." 

In  time  one  does  not  mind!  It  is  another  of  the  lessons 
of  the  Yukon  ;  and  reading,  one  stands  ashamed.  There 
those  saintly  beings  spend  their  lives  in  God's  service. 
Nothing  save  a  divine  faith  could  sustain  a  delicate 
woman  to  endure  such  ceaseless  torment  for  three  months 
in  every  year;  and  yet,  like  the  lone  woman  at  Nation, 
their  faces  tell  us  that  we,  rather  than  they,  are  for  pity. 
The  stars  upon  their  brows  are  the  white  and  blessed  stars 
of  peace. 

The  steamer  lands  at  neither  Russian  Mission  nor  An- 
dreaofsky;  but  at  both  may  be  seen,  on  grassy  slopes, 
beautiful  Greek  churches,  with  green,  pale  blue,  and  yellow 
roofs,  domes  and  bell-towers,  chimes  and  glittering  crosses. 


508  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Down  where  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  attains  a  width 
of  sixty  miles  we  ran  upon  a  sand-bar  early  in  the  after- 
noon, and  there  we  remained  until  nearly  midnight.  It 
was  a  weird  experience.  Dozens  of  natives  in  bidarkas 
surrounded  our  steamer,  boarded  our  barges,  and  offered 
their  inferior  work  for  sale.  The  brown  lads  in  reindeer 
parkas  were  bright-eyed  and  amiable.  Cookies  and  gum 
sweetened  the  way  to  their  little  wild  hearts,  and  they 
would  hold  our  hands,  cling  to  our  skirts,  and  beg  for 
"  more." 

A  splendid,  stormy  sunset  burned  over  those  miles  of 
water-threaded  lowlands  at  evening.  Rose  and  lavender 
mists  rolled  in  from  the  sea,  parted,  and  drifted  away  into 
the  distances  stretching  on  all  sides;  they  huddled  upon 
islands,  covering  them  for  a  few  moments,  and  then,  with- 
drawing, leaving  them  drenched  in  sparkling  emerald 
beauty  in  the  vivid  light;  they  coiled  along  the  horizon, 
like  peaks  of  rosy  pearl;  and  they  went  sailing,  like  elfin 
shallops,  down  poppy-tinted  water-ways.  Everywhere 
overhead  geese  drew  dark  lines  through  the  brilliant  atmos- 
phere, their  mournful  cries  filling  the  upper  air  with  the 
weird  and  lonely  music  of  the  great  spaces.  Up  and 
down  the  water-ways  slid  the  bidarkas  noiselessly;  and 
along  the  shores  the  brown  women  moved  among  the 
willows  and  sedges,  or  stood  motionless,  staring  out  at 
their  white  sisters  on  the  stranded  boat.  There  were 
times  when  every  one  of  the  millions  of  sedges  on  island 
and  shore  seemed  to  flash  out  alone  and  apart,  like  a  daz- 
zling emerald  lance  quivering  to  strike. 

They  are  dull  of  soul  and  dull  of  imagination  who  com- 
plain of  monotony  on  the  Yukon  Flats.  There  is  beauty 
for  all  that  have  eyes  wherewith  to  see.  It  is  the  beauty 
of  the  desert ;  the  beauty  and  the  lure  of  wonderful 
distances,  of  marvellous  lights  and  low  skies,  of  dawns 
that  are  like  blown  roses,  and  as  perfumed,  and  sunsets 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  609 

whose  mists  are  as  burning  dust.  When  there  is  no  color 
anywhere,  there  is  still  the  haunting,  compelling  beauty 
that  lies  in  distance  alone.  Vast  spaces  are  majestic  and 
awesome  ;  the  aye  goes  into  them  as  the  thought  goes  into 
the  realm  of  eternity  —  only  to  return,  wearied  out  with  the 
beauty  and  the  immensity  that  forever  end  in  the  fathom- 
less mist  that  lies  on  the  far  horizon's  rim.  It  is  a  mist 
that  nothing  can  pierce ;  vision  and  thought  return  from 
it  upon  themselves,  only  to  go  out  again  upon  that  mute 
and  trembling  quest  which  ceases  not  until  life  itself  ceases. 
The  northernmost  mouth  of  the  Yukon  has  been  called 
the  Aphoon  or  Uphoon,  ever  since  the  advent  of  the  Rus- 
sians, and  is  the  channel  usually  selected  by  steamers,  the 
Kwikhpak  lying  next  to  it  on  the  south.  By  sea-coast 
measurement  the  most  northerly  mouth  is  nearly  a  hundred 
miles  from  the  most  southerly,  and  five  others  between 
them  assist  in  carrying  the  Yukon's  gray,  dull  yellow,  or 
rose-colored  floods  out  into  Behring  Sea,  whose  shallow 
waters  they  make  fresh  for  a  long  distance.  It  is  not 
without  hazard  that  the  flat-bottomed  river  boats  make 
the  run  to  St.  Michael ;  and  the  pilots  of  steamers  cross- 
ing out  anxiously  scan  the  sea  and  relax  not  in  vigi- 
lance until  the  port  is  entered. 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

We  were  released  from  the  sand-bar  near  midnight, 
and  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  we  steamed 
around  a  green  and  lovely  point  and  entered  Norton 
Sound,  in  whose  curving  blue  arm  lies  storied  St.  Mi- 
chael. 

St.  Michael  is  situated  on  the  island  of  the  same  name, 
about  sixty  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon.  It  was 
founded  in  1833  by  Michael  Tebenkoff,  and  was  originally 
named  Michaelovski  Redoubt.  The  Russian  buildings 
were  of  spruce  logs  brought  by  sea  from  the  Yukon  and 
Kuskoquim  rivers,  as  no  timber  grows  in  the  vicinity  of 
St.  Michael  or  Nome.  Some  of  the  original  Russian  build- 
ings yet  remain,  —  notably,  the  storehouse  and  the  redoubt. 
The  latter  is  an  hexagonal  building  of  heavy  hewn  logs, 
with  sloping  roof,  flagstaff,  door,  and  port-holes.  It  stands 
upon  the  shore,  within  a  dozen  steps  of  the  famous  "  Cot- 
tage," —  the  residence  of  the  managers  of  the  Northern 
Commercial  Company,  under  whose  hospitable  roof  every 
traveller  of  note  has  been  entertained  for  many  years,  — 
and  in  front  of  it  the  shore  slopes  green  to  the  water.  In- 
side lie  half  a  dozen  rust}^  Russian  cannons,  mutely  testify- 
ing to  the  sanguinary  past  of  the  North. 

The  redoubt  was  attacked  in  1836  by  the  hostile  Una- 
ligmuts  of  the  vicinity,  but  it  was  successfully  defended 
by  Kurupanoff.  The  Russians  had  a  temporary  landing- 
place  built  out  to  deep  water  to  accommodate  boats  draw- 
ing five  feet ;  this  was  removed  when  ice  formed  in  the 

510 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  511 

bay.  The  tundra  is  rolling,  with  numerous  pools  that  flame 
like  brass  at  sunset ;  only  low  willows  and  alders  grow  on 
the  island  and  adjacent  shores.  The  island  is  seven  miles 
wide  and  twenty-live  long,  and  is  separated  from  the  main- 
land by  a  tortuous  channel,  as  narrow  as  fifty  feet  in  places. 
The  land  gradually  rises  to  low  hills  of  volcanic  origin 
near  the  centre  of  the  island.  These  hills  are  called  the 
Shaman  Mountains.  The  meadow  upon  which  the  main 
part  of  the  town  and  the  buildings  of  the  post  are  situated 
is  as  level  as  a  vast  parade-ground ;  but  the  land  rises 
gently  to  a  slender  point  that  plunges  out  into  Behring 
Sea,  whose  blue  waves  beat  themselves  to  foam  and  music 
upon  its  tundra-covered  cliffs. 

On  the  day  that  I  stood  upon  this  headland  the  sunlight 
lay  like  gold  upon  the  island;  the  winds  were  low,  murmur- 
ous, and  soothing;  flowers  spent  their  color  riotously  about 
me;  the  tundra  was  as  soft  as  deep-napped  velvet  ;  and 
the  blue  waves,  set  with  flashes  of  gold,  went  pushing 
languorously  away  to  the  shores  of  another  continent. 
Scarcely  a  stone's  throw  from  me  was  a  small  mountain- 
island,  only  large  enough  for  a  few  graves,  but  with  no 
graves  upon  it.  In  all  the  world  there  cannot  be  another 
spot  so  noble  in  which  to  lie  down  and  rest  when  "  life's 
fevers  and  life's  passions  —  all  are  past."  There,  alone,  — 
but  never  again  to  be  lonely  !  —  facing  that  sublime  sweep 
of  sapphire  summer  sea,  set  here  and  there  with  islands, 
and  those  miles  upon  miles  of  glittering  winter  ice  ;  with 
white  sails  drifting  by  in  summer,  and  in  winter  the  wild 
and  roaring  march  of  icebergs  ;  with  summer  nights  of 
lavender  dusk,  and  winter  nights  set  with  the  great  stars 
and  the  magnificent  brilliance  of  Northern  Lights  ;  with 
the  perfume  of  flowers,  the  songs  of  birds,  the  music  of  lone 
winds  and  waves,  out  on  tlie  edge  of  the  world  —  could 
any  clipped  and  cared -for  plot  be  so  noble  a  place  in  which 
to  lie  down  for  the  last  time  ?    Could  any  be  so  close  to  God  ? 


512  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  entire  island  is  a  military  reservation,  and  it  is  only 
by  concessions  from  the  government  that  commercial  and 
transportation  companies  may  establish  themselves  there. 
Fort  St.  Michael  is  a  two-company  post,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Stokes,  at  whose  residence  a  reception 
was  tendered  to  Governor  Hoggatt.  The  filmy  white 
gowns  of  beautiful  women,  the  uniforms  of  the  officers,  the 
music,  flowers,  and  delicate  ices  in  a  handsomely  furnished 
home  made  it  difficult  for  one  to  realize  that  the  function 
was  on  the  shores  of  Behring  Sea  instead  of  in  the  capital 
of  our  country. 

There  is  an  excellent  hotel  at  St.  Michael,  and  the 
large  stores  of  the  companies  are  well  suj^plied  with  furs 
and  Indian  and  Eskimo  wares.  Beautiful  ivory  carvings, 
bidarkas,  parkas,  kamelinkas,  baskets,  and  many  other 
curios  may  be  obtained  here  at  more  reasonable  prices 
than  at  Nome.  There  are  public  bath-houses  where  one 
may  float  and  splash  in  red-brown  water  that  is  never  any 
other  color,  no  matter  how  long  it  may  run,  but  which  is 
always  pure  and  clean. 

No  description  of  St.  Michael  is  complete  that  does 
not  include  "  Lottie."  No  liquors  are  sold  upon  the  mili- 
tary reservation,  and  Lottie  conducts  a  floating  groggery 
upon  a  scow.  It  has  been  her  custom  each  fall  to  have  her 
barge  towed  up  the  canal  just  beyond  the  line  of  the  mili- 
tary reservation,  ten  miles  from  the  flag-staff  at  tlie  bar- 
racks, thus  placing  herself  beyond  the  control  of  the 
authorities,  greatly  to  their  chagrin.  In  summer  she 
anchors  her  barge  in  one  of  the  numerous  bights  along 
the  shore,  and  they  are  again  powerless  to  interfere  with 
her  brilliantly  managed  traffic,  since  it  has  been  decided 
that  their  sway  extends  over  the  land  only. 

It  is  Lottie's  practice  to  have  the  barge  made  fast  in 
such  a  way  that  a  boat  can  be  run  to  it  from  the  shore 
on   an   endless   line.     One  desiring  a  bottle  of  whiskey 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  513 

approaches  the  boat  and  drops  his  money  and  order  into 
the  bottom  of  it.  The  boat  is  then  drawn  out  to  the 
barge,  whiskey  is  substituted  for  the  money,  and  the  pur- 
chaser pulls  the  boat  ashore,  where  it  is  left  for  the  next 
customer. 

There  is  no  witness  to  the  transaction  and  it  has  been  im- 
possible to  prove,  the  authorities  claim,  who  put  the  money 
and  the  whiskey  into  the  boat,  or  took  either  therefrom. 

Lottie's  barge  has  operated  for  many  years.  Its  illicit 
transactions  could  easily  have  been  stopped  had  the  civil 
authorities  on  shore  taken  a  firm  stand  and  worked  in 
conjunction  with  the  military  ;  but  there  was  the  usual 
jealousy  as  to  the  rights  of  the  different  officials  —  and 
Lottie  has  profited  by  these  conditions.  Furthermore, 
many  people  of  the  vicinity  entertained  a  friendly  feeling 
for  Lottie  —  not  only  those  who  were  wont  to  draw  the 
little  boat  back  and  forth,  but  others  in  sheer  admiration 
of  the  ingenuity  and  skill  with  which  she  carried  on  her 
business.  She  was  careful  in  preserving  order  in  her 
vicinity,  was  very  charitable,  and  frequently  provided 
for  natives  who  would  have  otherwise  suffered.  Thus, 
by  her  diplomacy,  self-control,  good  business  sense,  and 
many  really  worthy  traits  of  character,  Lottie  has  been 
able  to  outwit  the  officials  for  years.  Her  barge  still 
floats  upon  the  blue  waves  of  Norton  Sound.  However, 
it  seems,  even  to  a  woman,  that  Lottie  must  be  blessed 
with  "  a  friend  at  court." 

We  had  been  invited  to  voyage  from  St.  Michael  to 
Nome  —  a  distance  of  a  hundred  and  eleven  miles  —  on 
the  Meteor,  a  very  small  tug  ;  being  warned,  however, 
that,  should  the  weather  prove  to  be  unfavorable,  our 
hardships  would  be  almost  unendurable,  as  there  was 
only  an  open  after-deck  and  no  cabin  in  which  to  take 
refuge.  We  boldy  took  our  chances,  remaining  three 
days  at  St.   Michael. 

2i> 


514  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

Never  had  Behring  Sea,  or  Norton  Sound,  been  known 
to  be  so  beautiful  as  it  was  on  that  fourteenth  day  of 
August.  We  started  at  nine  in  the  morning,  and  until 
evening  the  whole  sea,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  in  all 
directions,  was  as  smooth  as  satin,  of  the  palest  silvery 
blue.  Never  have  I  seen  its  like,  nor  do  I  hope  ever  to 
see  it  again.  To  think  that  such  seductive  beauty  could 
bloom  upon  a  sea  whereon,  in  winter,  one  may  travel  for 
hundreds  of  miles  on  solid  ice!  At  evening  it  was  still 
smooth,  but  its  color  burned  to  a  silvery  rose. 

The  waters  we  sailed  now  were  almost  sacred  to  some  of 
us.  Over  them  the  brave  and  gallant  Captain  Cook  had 
sailed  in  1778,  naming  Capes  Darby  and  Denbigh,  on 
either  side  of  Norton  Bay;  he  also  named  the  bay  and  the 
sound  and  Besborough,  Stuart,  and  Sledge  islands  ;  and 
it  was  in  this  vicinity  that  he  met  the  family  of  cripples. 

But  of  most  poignant  interest  was  St.  Lawrence  Is- 
land, lying  far  to  our  westward,  discovered  and  named  by 
Vitus  Behring  on  his  voyage  of  1728.  If  he  had  then 
sailed  to  the  eastward  for  but  one  day ! 

Every  one  has  read  of  the  terrors  of  landing  through  the 
pounding  surf  of  the  open  roadstead  at  Nome.  Large  ships 
cannot  approach  within  two  miles  of  the  shore.  Passen- 
gers and  freight  are  taken  off  in  lighters  and  launches 
when  the  weather  is  "fair  "  ;  but  fair  weather  at  Nome  is 
rough  weather  elsewhere.  When  they  call  it  rough  at 
Nome,  passengers  remain  on  the  ships  for  days,  waiting  to 
land.  Frequently  it  is  necessary  to  transfer  passengers 
from  the  ships  to  dories,  from  the  dories  to  tugs,  from 
the  tugs  to  flat  barges.  The  barges  are  floated  in  as 
far  as  possible;  then  an  open  platform  —  miscalled  a  cage 
—  is  dropped  from  a  great  arm,  which  looks  as  though  it 
might  break  at  any  moment  ;  the  platform  is  crowded 
with   passengers   and   hoisted  up  over  the  boiling  surf, 


ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  515 

swinging  and  creaking  in  a  hair-crinkling  fashion,  and  at 
last  depositing  its  large-eyed  burden  upon  the  wharf  at 
Nome.  I  had  pitied  cattle  when  I  had  seen  them  un- 
loaded in  this  manner  at  Valdez  and  other  coast  towns! 

We  anchored  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night  in  the  Nome 
roadstead.  In  two  minutes  a  launch  was  alongside  and 
a  dozen  gentlemen  came  aboard  to  greet  tlie  governor. 
We  were  hastily  transferred  in  the  purple  dusk  to  the 
launch.  The  town,  brilliantly  illuminated,  glittered  like 
a  string  of  jewels  along  the  low  beach  ;  bells  were  ring- 
ing, whistles  were  blowing,  bands  were  playing,  and  all 
Nome  was  on  the  beach  shouting  itself  hoarse  in  welcome. 

There  was  no  surf,  there  was  not  a  wave,  there  was 
scarce  a  ripple  on  the  sea.  The  launch  ran  smoothly 
upon  the  beach  and  a  gangway  was  put  out.  It  did  not 
quite  reach  to  dry  land  and  men  ran  out  in  the  water, 
picked  us  up  unceremoniously,  and  carried  us  ashore. 

The  most  beautiful  landing  ever  made  at  Nome  was  the 
one  made  that  night ;  and  the  people  said  it  was  all 
arranged  for  the  governor. 

There  was  an  enthusiastic  reception  at  the  Golden  Gate 
Hotel,  followed  by  a  week's  brilliant  functions  in  his 
honor. 

Three  days  later  the  Meteor  came  over  from  St.  Michael, 
with  a  distinguished  Congressman  aboard.  The  weather 
was  rough,  even  for  Nome,  and  for  three  blessed  days 
the  Meteor  rolled  in  the  roadstead,  and  with  every  roll  it 
went  clear  out  of  sight. 

There  were  those  at  the  hotel  who  differed  politically 
from  the  Congressman  aboard  the  little  tug ;  and,  like  the 
people  of  Nome  when  the  senatorial  committe.e  was  landed 
under  such  distressful  circumstances  a  few  years  ago, 
their  faces  did  not  put  on  mourning  as  they  watched  the 
Meteor  roll. 


CHAPTER  L 

Nome  !  Never  in  all  the  world  has  been,  and  never 
again  will  be,  a  town  so  wonderfully  and  so  picturesquely 
built.  Imagine  a  couple  of  miles  of  two  and  three  story 
frame  buildings  set  upon  a  low,  ocean-drenched  beach  and, 
for  the  most  part,  painted  white,  with  the  back  doors  of 
one  side  of  the  main  business  street  jutting  out  over  the 
water;  the  town  widening  for  a  considerable  distance 
back  over  the  tundra;  all  things  jumbled  together  — 
saloons,  banks,  dance-halls,  millinery-shops,  residences, 
churches,  hotels,  life-saving  stations,  government  build- 
ings, Eskimo  camps,  sacked  coal  piled  a  hundred  feet  high, 
steamship  offices,  hospitals,  schools  —  j)i'6senting  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  flung  up  into  the  air  and  left 
wherever  they  chanced  to  fall ;  with  streets  zigzagging  in 
every  conceivable  and  inconceivable,  way  —  following  the 
beach,  drifting  away  from  it,  and  returning  to  it ;  one 
building  stepping  out  proudly  two  feet  ahead  of  its 
neighbor,  another  modestly  retiring,  another  slipping  in  at 
right  angles  and  leaving  a  V-shaped  space ;  board  side- 
walks, narrow  for  a  few  steps,  then  wide,  then  narrow 
again,  running  straight,  curving,  jutting  out  sharply ; 
in  places,  steps  leading  up  from  the  street,  in  others  the 
streets  rising  higher  than  the  sidewalks  ;  boards,  laid  upon 
the  bare  sand  in  the  middle  of  the  streets  for  planking, 
wearing  out  and  wobbling  noisily  under  travel;  every 
second  floor  a  residence  or  an  apartment-house ;  crude 
signs  everywhere,  and  tipsy  telephone  poles ;  the  streets 

516 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  517 

crowded  with  men  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night;  and 
a  blare  of  music  bursting  from  every  saloon.  This  is 
Nome  at  first  sight ;  and  it  was  with  a  sore  and  disap- 
pointed heart  that  I  laid  my  head  upon  my  pillow  that 
night. 

But  Nome  grows  upon  one ;  and  by  the  end  of  a  week 
it  had  drawn  my  heartstrings  around  it  as  no  orderly, 
conventional  town  could  do.  From  the  very  centre  of 
the  business  section  it  is  but  twenty  steps  to  the  sea ; 
and  there,  day  and  night,  its  surf  pounds  upon  the  beach, 
its  musical  thunder  and  fine  mist  drifting  across  the 
town. 

Ten  years  ago  there  was  nothing  here  save  the  golden 
sands,  the  sea  that  broke  upon  them,  and  the  gray-green 
tundra  slopes ;  there  is  not  a  tree  for  fifty  miles  or  more. 
To-day  there  is  a  town  of  seven  thousand  people  in  sum- 
mer, and  of  three  or  four  thousand  in  winter  —  a  town 
having  most  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  to 
be  obtained  in  cities  of  older  civilization.  Nome  sprang 
into  existence  in  the  summer  of  1899,  and  grew  like  Fair- 
banks and  Dawson ;  but  it  is  more  wonderfully  situated 
than,  probably,  any  town  in  the  world.  For  eight  months 
of  the  year  it  is  cut  off  from  steamship  service,  and  its  front 
door-yard  is  a  sea  of  solid  ice  stretching  to  the  shores  of 
Siberia,  while  its  back  yard  is  a  gold-mine.  There  are 
many  weeks  when  the  sun  rises  but  a  little  way,  glimmers 
faintly  for  three  or  four  hours,  and  fades  behind  the  pali- 
sades of  ice,  leaving  the  people  to  darkness  and  un- 
speakable loneliness  until  it  returns  to  its  full  brilliance 
in  spring  and  opens  the  way  for  the  return  of  the  ships. 

Nome  is  picturesque  by  day  or  by  night  and  at  any 
season.  Its  streets  are  constantly  crowded  with  traffic 
and  thronged  by  a  cosmopolitan  population.  The  Eskimo 
encampment  is  on  the  "  sand-spit "  at  the  northern  end  of 
the  main  street,  where  Snake  River  flows  into  the  sea ; 


518  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

and  the  men,  women,  and  children  may  be  seen  at  all  hours 
loitering  about  the  streets  in  reindeer  parkas  and  mukluks. 
Especially  in  the  evenings  do  they  haunt  the  streets  and 
the  hotels,  offering  their  beautifully  carved  ivories  for  sale. 
Both  the  Eskimos  and  the  Indians  are  lovers  of  music, 
and  the  former  readily  yield  to  emotion  when  they  hear 
melodious  strains.  When  a  "  Buluga,"  or  white  whale,  is 
killed,  a  feast  is  held  and  the  natives  sing  their  songs 
and  dance.  The  music  of  stringed  instruments  invariably 
moves  them  to  tears.  At  a  recent  Thanksgiving  service 
in  Fairbanks,  some  visiting  Indians  were  invited  to  sing 
"Oh,  Come,  All  Ye  Faithful."  With  evident  pleasure, 
they  sang  it  as  follows :  — 

"  Oni,  tsenuan  whuduguduwhuta  yilh  ; 
Oni,  yuwhun  dutlish,  oni  nokhlhan, 
Oni,  dodutalokhlho, 
Oni,  dodutalokhlho, 
Oni,  dodutalokhlho, 
Lud." 

At  Point  Barrow,  three  hundred  miles  northeast  of 
Behring  Strait,  an  old  Eskimo  who  could  not  speak  one 
word  of  English  was  heard  to  whistle  "  The  Holy  City," 
and  it  filled  the  hearer's  heart  with  home-loneliness.  A 
trader  had  sold  the  old  native  music-lover  a  phonograph, 
receiving  in  pay  two  white  polar  bear-skins,  worth  several 
hundred  dollars. 

Some  one  gave  an  ordinary  French  harp  to  a  little  Es- 
kimo lad  on  our  steamer ;  and  from  early  morning  until 
late  at  night  he  sat  on  a  companionway,  alone,  indifferent 
to  all  passers-by,  blowing  out  softly  and  sweetly  with 
dark  lips  the  prisoned  beauty  of  his  soul. 

All  the  islands  of  Behring  Sea,  as  well  as  the  coast  of 
the  Arctic  Ocean,  are  inhabited  by  Eskimos.  From  the 
largest  island,  St.  Lawrence,  to  the  small  Diomede  on 
the  American  side,  they   have    settlements   and   schools. 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  519 

St.  Lawrence  is  eighty  miles  long  by  fifteen  in  width ; 
while  the  Diomede  is  only  two  miles  by  one.  The  natives 
beg  pitifully  for  education  —  "  to  be  smart,  like  the  white 
man."  We  shrink  from  their  filth  and  their  immorality, 
but  we  teach  them  nothing  better ;  yet  we  might  see 
through  their  asking  eyes  down  into  their  starved  souls 
if  we  would  but  look. 

In  many  ways  Nome  is  the  most  interesting  place  in 
Alaska.  It  is  at  once  so  pagan  and  so  civilized;  so  crude 
and  so  refined.  It  is  the  golden  gateway  through  which 
thousands  of  people  pass  each  summer  to  and  from  the 
interior  of  Alaska.  Treeless  and  harborless  it  began 
and  has  continued,  surmounting  all  obstacles  that  lay  in 
its  way  of  becoming  a  city.  It  has  a  water  system  that 
supplies  its  household  needs,  with  steam  pipes  laid  parallel 
to  the  water  pipes,  to  thaw  them  in  winter  —  and  then  it 
has  not  a  yard  of  sewerage.  It  has  a  wireless  telegraph 
station,  a  telephone  service,  and  electric-light  plant ;  and 
it  is  seeking  municipal  steam-heating.  Electric  lighting 
is  excessively  high,  owing  to  the  price  of  coal,  and  many 
use  lamps  and  candles.  There  are  three  good  newspapers, 
which  play  important  parts  in  the  politics  of  Alaska  — 
the  Nugget,  the  Grold-Digger,  and  the  News;  three  banks, 
with  capital  stocks  ranging  from  one  to  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  each  of  which  has  an  assay-office  ; 
two  good  public  schools ;  three  churches ;  hospitals  ; 
and  a  telephone  system  connecting  all  the  creeks  and 
camps  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles  with  Nome.  The 
orders  of  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Eagles,  and  Arctic  Brotherhood  have  clubs  at  Nome.  The 
Arctic  Brotherhood  is  the  most  popular  order  of  the 
North,  and  the  more  important  entertainments  are  usually 
given  under  its  auspices  and  are  held  in  its  club-rooms; 
the  wives  of  its  members  form  the  most  exclusive  society 
of  the  North. 


520  ALASKA  :     THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

The  spirit  of  Nome  is  restless  ;  it  is  the  spirit  of  the 
gold-seeker,  the  seafarer,  the  victim  of  wanderlust  ;  and  it 
soon  gets  into  even  the  visitor's  blood.  Millions  of  dol- 
lars have  been  taken  out  of  the  sands  whereon  Nome  is 
now  built,  and  millions  more  may  be  waiting  beneath  it. 
It  seemed  as  though  every  man  in  Nome  should  be  digging 
—  on  the  beach,  in  the  streets,  in  cellars. 

"  Why  are  not  all  these  men  digging  ?  "  I  asked,  and 
they  laughed  at  me. 

"  Because  every  inch  of  tundra  for  miles  back  is 
located." 

"  Then  why  do  not  the  locators  dig,  dig,  day  and  night?  " 

"  Oh,  for  one  reason  or  another." 

If  I  owned  a  claim  on  the  tundra  back  of  Nome,  nothing 
save  sudden  death  could  prevent  my  digging. 

New  strikes  are  constantly  being  made,  to  keep  the 
people  of  Nome  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement  and 
dynamic  energy.  When  we  landed,  we  found  the  town 
wild  over  a  thirty-thousand-dollar  clean-up  on  a  claim 
named  "  Number  Eight,  Cooper  Gulch."  Four  days  later 
an  excursion  was  arranged  to  go  out  on  the  railroad  —  for 
they  have  a  railroad  —  to  see  another  clean-up  at  this 
mine. 

We  started  at  nine  o'clock,  and  we  did  not  return  until 
five  ;  and  it  rained  steadily  and  with  exceeding  coldness 
all  day.  There  was  a  comfortable  passenger-car,  but 
despite  the  wind  and  the  rain  we  preferred  the  box -cars, 
roofed,  but  open  at  the  sides.  The  country  which  we 
traversed  for  six  miles  possessed  the  indescribable  fascina- 
tion of  desolation.  Behind  us  rolled  the  sea  ;  but  on  all 
other  sides  stretched  wide  gray  tundra  levels,  varied  by 
low  hills.  Hills  they  call  them  here,  but  they  are  only 
slopes,  or  mounds,  with  here  and  there  a  treeless  creek 
winding  through  them.  The  mist  of  the  rain  drove  across 
them  like  smoke. 


J 


ALASKA:    THE    GBEAT    COUNTRY  521 

We  were  received  at  the  mine  by  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  and  Mr.  Corson,  the  owners.  The  hidies  were 
entertained  in  the  Johnsons'  cabin  home  and  the  gentle- 
men at  a  near-by  cabin,  there  being  twelve  ladies  and 
twenty  gentlemen  in  the  party.  An  immense  bowl  of 
champagne  punch  —  the  word  "  punch  "  being  used  for 
courtesy  —  stood  outside  the  ladies'  cabin  and  was  not 
allowed  to  grow  empty.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  heap 
of  empty  champagne  bottles  outside  the  gentlemen's  cabin 
resembled  in  size  one  of  the  numerous  gravel  dumps  scat- 
tered over  the  tundra  ;  yet  not  a  person  showed  signs  of 
intoxication.  They  told  us  that  one  may  drink  cham^ 
pagne  as  though  it  were  water  in  that  latitude ;  and 
this  is  one  northern  "  story  "  which  I  am  quite  willing  to 
believe. 

At  noon  a  bountiful  and  delicious  luncheon  was  served 
at  the  mess-house.  It  was  this  same  fortunate  Captain 
Johnson,  by  the  way,  who  opened  fifteen  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  champagne  when  bedrock  was  reached  in  his 
Koyukuk  claim. 

Sluicing  is  fascinating.  A  good  supply  of  water  with 
sufficient  fall  is  necessary.  Some  of  the  claims  are  on 
creeks,  but  the  owners  of  others  are  compelled  to  buy 
water  from  companies  who  supply  it  by  pumping-plants 
and  ditches.  Boxes,  or  flat-bottomed  troughs,  are  formed 
of  planks  with  slats,  or  "  riffles,"  fastened  at  intervals 
across  the  bottom.  Several  boxes  are  arranged  on  a 
gentle  slope  and  fitted  into  one  another.  The  boxes 
at  "  Number  Eight "  were  twenty  feet  in  length  and 
slanted  from  the  ground  to  a  height  of  twelve  feet  on 
scaffolding.  A  narrow  planking  ran  along  each  side  of 
the  telescoped  boxes,  and  upon  these  frail  foundations  we 
stood  to  view  the  sluicing.  The  gravel  is  usually  shovelled 
into  the  boxes,  but  "Number  Eight"  has  an  improved 
method.     The  gravel  is  elevated  into  an  immense  hopper- 


522  ALASKA  :    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

like  receptacle,  from  which  it  sifts  down  into  the  sluice- 
boxes  on  each  side,  and  a  stream  of  water  is  kept  running 
steadily  upon  it  from  a  large  hose  at  the  upper  end.  Men 
with  whisk  brooms  sweep  up  the  gold  into  glistening  heaps, 
working  out  the  gravel  and  passing  it  on,  as  a  housewife 
works  the  whey  out  of  the  yellowing  butter.  The  gold, 
being  heavy,  is  caught  and  held  by  the  riffles ;  if  it  is  very 
fine,  the  bottoms  of  the  boxes  are  covered  with  blankets, 
or  mercury  is  placed  at  the  slats  to  detain  it. 

The  clean-up  that  day  was  twenty -nine  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  each  lady  of  the  party  was  presented  with  a  gold 
nugget  by  Mrs.  Johnson.  We  were  taken  down  into  the 
mine,  where  we  went  about  like  a  company  of  fireflies,  each 
carrying  his  own  candle.  The  ceiling  was  so  low  that  we 
were  compelled  to  walk  in  a  stooping  position.  On  the 
following  morning  we  went  to  a  bank  and  saw  this  clean- 
up melted  and  run  into  great  bricks. 

The  lure  and  the  fascination  of  virgin  gold  is  undeni- 
able. It  catches  one  and  all  in  its  glistening,  mj^sterious 
web.  A  man  may  sell  his  potato  patch  in  town  lots  and 
become  a  millionnaire,  without  attracting  attention  ;  but 
let  him  "strike  pay  on  bedrock" —  and  instantly  he  walks 
in  a  golden  mist  of  glory  and  romance  before  his  fellow- 
men.  It  may  be  because  the  farmer  deposits  his  money  in 
the  bank,  while  the  miner  "sets  up"  the  champagne  to 
his  less  fortunate  friends.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  a  slug- 
gish pulse  that  does  not  quicken  when  one  sees  cones  of 
beautiful  coarse  gold  and  nuggets  washed  and  swept  out 
of  the  gravel  in  which  it  has  been  lying  hundreds  of  years, 
waiting.  If  Behring  had  but  landed  upon  this  golden 
beach,  Alaska  —  despite  all  the  eloquence  and  the  earnest- 
ness of  Seward  and  Sumner  —  might  not  now  be  ours. 

To  the  Nome  district  have  been  gradually  added  those 
of  Topkuk,  Solomon,  and  Golovin  Bay,  forty-five  miles  to 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTBT  523 

eastward  on  the  shores  of  Norton  Sound,  Cripple  Creek, 
Bluff,  Penny,  and  a  chain  of  diggings  extending  up  the 
coast  and  into  the  Kotzebue  country,  including  the  rich 
Kougarok  and  Blue  Stone  districts,  Candle  Creek,  and 
Kowak  River. 

When  gold  was  discovered  at  Nome,  prospectors  scat- 
tered over  the  Seward  Peninsula  in  all  directions.  Some 
drifted  west  into  the  York  district,  near  Cape  Prince  of 
Wales,  the  extreme  western  point  of  the  North  American 
continent.  In  this  region  they  found  gold  in  the  streams, 
but  sluicing  was  so  difficult,  owing  to  a  heavy  gravel  which 
they  encountered,  that  they  abandoned  their  claims,  not 
knowing  that  the  impediment  was  stream-tin.  Wiser 
prospectors  later  recognized  the  metal  and  located  claims. 
The  tin  is  irregularly  distributed  over  an  area  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  square  miles,  embracing  the  western  end  of 
the  peninsula.  The  United  States  uses  annually  twenty 
million  dollars'  worth  of  tin,  which  is  obtained  largely 
from  the  Straits  Settlement,  although  much  comes  from 
Ecuador,  Bolivia,  Australia,  and  Cornwall.  Tin  cannot  at 
present  be  treated  successfully  in  this  country,  owing  to 
the  lack  of  smelter  facilities ;  but  now  that  it  has  been 
discovered  in  so  vast  quantities  and  of  so  pure  quality  in 
the  Seward  Peninsula,  smelters  in  this  country  will  doubt- 
less be  equipped  for  reducing  tin  ores. 

The  centre  of  the  tin-mining  industry  is  at  Tin  City,  a 
small  settlement  three  miles  west  of  Teller,  Cape  Prince 
of  Wales,  and  is  reached  by  small  steamers  which  ply  from 
Nome.  Several  corporations  are  developing  promising 
properties  with  large  stamp-mills.  Both  stream-tin  and 
tin  ore  in  ledges  are  found  throughout  the  district. 

The  Council  district  is  the  oldest  of  Seward  Peninsula, 
the  first  discovery  of  gold  having  been  made  there  in  1898, 
by  a  party  headed  by  Daniel  P.  Libby,  who  had  been 
through  the  country  with  the  Western  Union's  Expedi- 


524        ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

tion  in  1866.  Hearing  of  the  Klondike's  richness,  he  re- 
turned to  Seward  Peninsula  and  soon  found  gold  on  Fish 
River.  He  and  his  party  established  the  town  of  Council 
and  built  the  first  residence ;  it  now  has  a  population  of 
eight  hundred.  This  district  is  forestated  with  spruce  of 
fair  size  and  quality. 

The  Ophir  Creek  Mines  are  of  great  value,  having  pro- 
duced more  than  five  millions  of  dollars  by  the  crudest  of 
mining  methods.  The  Kougarok  is  the  famous  district  of 
the  interior  of  the  peninsula.  Mary's  Igloo — deriving  its 
name  from  an  Eskimo  woman  of  some  importance  in  early 
days  —  is  the  seat  of  the  recorder's  office  for  this  district. 
It  has  a  post-office  and  is  an  important  station.  May  it 
never  change  its  striking  and  picturesque  name  I 

The  entire  peninsula,  having  an  area  of  nearly  twenty- 
three  thousand  miles,  is  liable  to  prove  to  be  one  vast  gold- 
mine, the  extreme  richness  of  strikes  in  various  localities 
indicating  that  time  and  money  to  install  modern  machin- 
ery and  develop  the  country  are  all  that  are  required  to 
make  this  one  of  the  richest  producing  districts  of  the 
world. 

The  leading  towns  of  the  peninsula  are  Council,  Solomon, 
Teller,  Candle,  Mary's  Igloo,  and  Deering,  on  Kotzebue 
Sound.  Solomon  is  on  Norton  Sound,  at  the  mouth  of 
Solomon  River ;  a  railroad  runs  from  this  point  to  Coun- 
cil. 

The  early  name  of  Seward  Peninsula  was  Kaviak  —  the 
name  of  the  Innuit  people  inhabiting  it. 

Gold  was  discovered  on  Anvil  Creek  in  the  hills  behind 
Nome  in  September,  1898,  by  Jafet  Lindeberg,  Erik  Lind- 
blom,  and  John  Brynteson,  the  "three  lucky  Swedes." 
In  the  following  summer  gold  was  discovered  on  the  beach, 
and  in  1900  occurred  the  memorable  stampede  to  Nome, 
when  fifteen  thousand  people  struggled  through  the  surf 
during  one  fortnight.     Then  began  the  amazing  building 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  525 

of  the  mining-camp  on  the  northwesternmost  point  of  the 
continent.  Anvil  Creek,  Dexter,  Dry  and  Glacier  creeks. 
Snow  and  Cooper  gulches,  have  yielded  millions  of  dol- 
lars. The  tundra  reaching  back  to  the  hills  five  or  six 
miles  from  the  sea  is  made  up  of  a  series  of  beach  lines, 
all  containing  deposits  of  gold.  Five  millions  of  dollars 
in  dust  were  taken  from  the  famous  "  third  "  beach  line  in 
one  season  ;  and  its  length  is  estimated  at  thirty  or  forty 
miles.  The  hills  are  low  and  round-topped,  and  beyond 
them  —  thirty  miles  distant  —  are  the  Kigluaik  Mountains, 
known  to  prospectors  by  the  name  of  Sawtooth.  Among 
their  sharp  and  austere  peaks  is  the  highest  of  the  penin- 
sula, rising  to  an  altitude  of  four  thousand  seven  hundred 
feet  by  geological  survey. 

There  are  several  railroads  on  the  peninsula.  Some  are 
but  a  few  miles  in  length,  the  rails  are  narrow  and  "  wavy," 
the  trains  run  by  starts  and  plunges  and  stop  fearsomely  ; 
but  thej^  are  railroads.  One  can  climb  into  the  box-cars 
or  the  one  warm  passenger-coach  and  go  from  Nome  out 
among  the  creeks,  —  to  Nome  River,  to  Anvil  Creek,  to 
Kougarok  and  Hot  Springs,  from  Solomon  to  the  Coun- 
cil Country,  —  and  Nome  is  only  ten  years  old. 

Nome  has  a  woman's  club.  It  is  federated  and  it  owns 
its  club-house,  a  small  but  pretty  building.  Its  name  is 
Kegoayah  Kosga,  or  Northern  Lights.  It  held  an  open 
meeting  while  we  were  in  Nome.  Bishop  Rowe  described 
a  journey  by  dog  sled  and  canoe.  Congressman  Sulzer 
gave  an  informal  talk,  and  the  ladies  of  the  club  pre- 
sented an  interesting  programme.  The  afternoon  was 
the  most  profitable  I  have  spent  at  a  woman's  club. 

For  two  or  three  months  in  summer  it  is  all  work  at 
Nome  ;  but  when  the  snow  begins  to  drive  in  across  the 
town  ;  when  the  last  steamer  drifts  down  the  roadstead 
and  disappears  before  the  longing  eyes  that  follow  it ; 
when   the   ice   piles   up,  mile   on   mile,  where   the   surf 


526       ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

dashed  in  summer,  and  the  wind  in  the  chimneys  plays 
a  weird  and  lonely  tune  ;  then  the  people  turn  to  cards 
and  dance  and  song  to  while  away  the  long  and  dreary 
months  of  darkness.  The  social  life  is  gay;  and  poker 
parties,  whereat  gambling  runs  high,  are  frequent. 

"  Vd  like  to  give  a  poker  party  for  you,"  said  a  hand- 
some young  woman,  laughing,  "  but  I  suppose  it  would 
shock  you  to  death." 

We  confessed  that  we  would  not  be  shocked,  but  that, 
not  knowing  how  to  play  the  game,  we  declined  to  be 
"bluffed"  out  of  all  our  money. 

"  Oh,  we  are  easy  on  cheechacos,"  said  she,  lightly. 
"Do  come.  We'll  play  till  two  o'clock,  and  then  have  a 
little  supper  ;  curlew,  plovers,  and  champagne  —  the  '  big 
cold  bottle  and  the  small  hot  bird.'  " 

When  we  still  declined,  she  looked  bored  as  she  said 
politely:  — 

"  Oh,  very  well ;  let  us  call  it  a  five-hundred  party. 
Surely,  that  is  childlike  enough  for  you.  But  the 
men!" 

I  laughed  at  the  thought  of  the  men  I  had  met  in 
Nome  playing  the  insipid  game  of  five-hundred. 

"  Then,"  said  she,  dolefully,  "  there's  nothing  left  but 
bridge  —  and  we  just  gamble  our  pockets  inside  out  on 
bridge;  it's  worse  than  poker,  and  we  play  like  fiends." 

We  suggested  that,  as  General  Greeley  had  come  down 
the  river  with  us  and  would  be  over  from  St.  Michael  the 
next  day,  they  should  wait  for  him ;  when  the  first  player 
has  led  the  first  card.  General  Greeley  knows  in  whose 
hand  every  deuce  lies,  and  I  wickedly  longed  to  see  the 
inside  of  Nome's  composite  pocket  by  the  time  General 
Greeley  had  sailed  away. 

There  was  no  party  for  us  that  night ;  but  there  is  a 
wide,  public  porch  behind  a  big  store  by  the  life-saving 
station.    It  projects  over  the  sea  and  about  ten  feet  above 


ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY  527 

it,  and  upon  this  porch  are  benches  whereon  one  may  sit 
alone  and  undisturbed  until  midnight,  or  until  dawn, 
for  that  matter,  but  alone — with  the  glitter  of  Nome 
and  the  golden  tundra  behind  one,  and  in  front,  the  far, 
faint  lights  of  the  ships  anchored  in  the  roadstead  and 
the  tumultuous  passion  of  waves  that  have  lapped  the 
shores  of  other  lands. 

Sitting  here,  what  thoughts  come,  unbidden,  of  the 
brave  and  shadowy  navigators  of  the  past  who  have 
sailed  these  waters  through  hardships  and  sufferings 
that  would  cause  the  stoutest  hearts  of  to-day  to  hesi- 
tate. Read  the  descriptions  of  the  ships  upon  which 
Arctic  explorers  embark  at  the  present  time  —  of  their 
stores  and  comforts  ;  and  then  turn  back  and  imagine 
how  Simeon  Deshneff,  a  Cossack  chief,  set  sail  in  June, 
two  hundred  and  sixty  years  ago,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Kolyma  River  in  Siberia  in  search  of  fabled  ivory.  In 
company  with  two  other  "  kotches,"  which  were  lost,  he 
sailed  dauntlessly  along  the  Arctic  sea-coast  and  through 
Behring  Strait  from  the  Frozen  Ocean.  His  "  kotch " 
was  a  small-decked  craft,  rudely  and  frailly  fashioned  of 
wood ;  in  September  of  that  year,  1648,  he  landed  upon 
the  shores  of  the  Chukchi  Peninsula  and  saw  the  two 
Diomede  Islands,  between  which  the  boundary  line  now 
runs.  He  must  have  seen  the  low  hills  of  Cape  Prince  of 
Wales,  for  it  plunges  boldly  out  into  the  sea,  within  twenty 
miles  of  the  Diomedes,  but  probably  mistook  them  for 
islands.  Half  a  century  later  Popoff,  another  Cossack, 
was  sent  to  East  Cape  to  persuade  the  rebellious  Chuk- 
chis  —  as  the  Siberian  natives  of  that  region  are  called  — 
to  pay  tribute ;  he  was  not  successful,  but  he  brought 
back  a  description  of  the  Diomede  Islands  and  rumors  of 
a  continent  said  to  lie  to  the  east.  The  next  passage  of 
importance  through  the  strait  was  that  of  Behring,  who, 
in  1728,  sailed  along  the  Siberian  coast  from   Okhotsk, 


528  ALASKA:    THE    GREAT    COUNTRY 

rounded  East  Cape,  passed  through  the  strait,  and,  after 
sailing  to  the  northeast  for  a  day,  returned  to  Okhotsk, 
marvellously  missing  the  American  continent.  Geogra- 
'{:)hers  refused  to  accept  Behring's  statement  that  Asia  and 
North  America  were  not  connected  until  it  was  verified 
in  1778  by  Cook,  who  generously  named  the  strait  for 
the  illustrious  Dane. 

Less  than  a  day's  voyage  from  Nome  is  the  westernmost 
point  of  our  country  —  Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  the  "  King- 
egan  "  of  the  natives.  It  is  fifty-four  miles  from  this  cape 
to  the  East  Cape  of  Siberia,  and  like  stepping-stones  be- 
tween lie  Fairway  Rock  and  the  Diomedes.  Beyond  is 
the  Frozen  Ocean.  These  islands  are  of  almost  solid 
stone.  They  are  snow-swept,  ice-bound,  and  ice-bounded 
for  eight  months  of  every  year.  But  ah,  the  auroral 
magnificence  that  at  times  must  stream  through  the  gates 
of  frozen  pearl  which  swing  open  and  shut  to  the  Arctic 
Sea !  What  moonlights  must  glitter  there  like  millions 
of  diamonds ;  what  sunrises  and  sunsets  must  burn  like 
opaline  mist !  How  large  the  stars  must  be  —  and  how 
bright  and  low!  And  in  the  spring — how  this  whole 
northern  world  must  tremble  and  thrill  at  the  mighty 
march  of  icebergs  sweeping  splendidly  down  through  the 
gates  of  pearl  into  Behring  Sea ! 


APPENDIX 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  the  following  works  have 
been  consulted,  which  treat  wholly,  or  in  part,  of  Alaska. 
After  the  narratives  of  the  early  voyages  and  discoveries, 
the  more  important  works  of  the  list  are  Bancroft's  "  History," 
Dall's  "  Alaska  and  Its  Resources,"  Brooks'  "  Geography  and 
Geology,"  Davidson's  "Alaska  Boundary,"  Elliott's  "Arctic 
Province,"  Mason's  "  Aboriginal  Basketry,"  Miss  Scidmore's 
"  Guide-book,"  and  "  Proceedings  of  the  Alaska  Boundary 
Tribunal." 

Abercrombie,  Captain.     Government  Reports. 

Alaska  Club's  Almanac.     1907,  1908. 

Bales,  L.  L.  Habits  and  Haunts  of  the  Sea-otter.  Seattle 
Post-Intelligencer.     April  7,  1907. 

Bancroft,  Hubert  H.  History  of  the  Pacific  States. 
Volumes  on  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  Montana,  Alaska, 
and  Northwest  Coast.  The  volume  on  Alaska  is  a  consci- 
entious and  valuable  study  of  that  country'-,  the  material  for 
which  was  gathered  largely  by  Ivan  Petroff. 

Beattie,  W.  G.     Alaska-Yukon  Magazine.     October,  1907. 

Blaine,  J.  G.  Twenty  Years  of  Congress.  Two  volumes. 
1884. 

Brady,  J.  G.     Governor's  Reports.     1902, 1904,  1905. 

Brooks,  Alfred  H.  The  Geography  and  Geology  of 
Alaska.     1906.     Also,  Coal  Resources  of  Alaska. 

Butler,  Sir  William.     Wild  Northland.     1873. 

Clark,  Reed  P.     Mirror  and  American. 

Cook,  James.     Voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.     1784. 

Coxe,  William.  Russian  Discoveries.  Containing  diaries 
of  Steller,  the  naturalist,  who  accompanied  Behring  and  Sheli- 
koff,  who  made  the  first  permanent  Russian  settlement  in 
2  m  529 


530  APPENDIX 

America;    also,   an   account   of    Deshneff's    passage    through 
Behriug  Strait  in  1648.      Fourth  Edition.      Enlarged.     1803. 

CuNNixGHAM,  J.  T.     Encyclopaedia  Britannica. 

Dall,  William  Healy.  Alaska  and  Its  Resources.  An 
accurate  and  important  work.  This  volume  and  Bancroft's 
Alaska  are  the  standard  historical  works  on  Alaska. 

Davidson,  George.  The  Alaska  Boundary.  1903.  Also, 
Glaciers  of  Alaska.  1904.  jVlr.  Davidson's  work  for  Alaska 
covers  many  years  and  is  of  great  value. 

Dixon,  George.     Voyage  Around  the  World.     1789. 

Dorset,  John.      Alaska- Yukon  Magazine.     October,  1907. 

Dunn,  Robert.     Outing.     February,  1908. 

Elliott,  Henry  W.  Our  Arctic  Province.  1886.  This 
book  covers  the  greater  part  of  Alaska  in  an  entertaining 
style  and  contains  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  Seal  Islands. 

Georgeson,  C.  C.  Report  of  Alaska  Agricultural  Experi- 
mental Work.     1903,  1904,  1905,  1906. 

Harriman.     Alaska  Expedition.     1904. 

Harrison,  E.  S.     !N"ome  and  Seward  Peninsula. 

Holmes,  W.  H.  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Eth- 
nology.    1907. 

Irving,  Washington.    Astoria. 

Jewitt,  John.  Adventures.  Edited  by  Robert  Brown. 
1896.  John  Jewitt  was  captured  and  held  as  a  slave  by  the 
Nootka  Indians  from  1803  until  1805. 

Jones,  R.  D.     Alaska- Yukon  Magazine.     October,  1907. 

Kinzie,  R.  a.     Treadwell  Group  of  Mines.     1903. 

KosTROMETiNOFF,  George.     Letters  and  Papers. 

La  Perouse,  Jean  Francois.  Voyage  Around  the  World. 
1798. 

Mackenzie,  Alexander.  Voyages  to  the  Arctic  in  1789 
and  1793.     Two  volumes. 

McLain,  J.  S.     Alaska  and  the  Klondike.     1905. 

Mason,  Otis  T.  Aboriginal  American  Basketry.  An  ex- 
quisite and  poetic  work. 

Moser,  Commander.     Alaska  Salmon  Investigations. 

Muir,  John.  The  Alaska  Trip.  Century  Magazine.  August, 
1897. 


APPENDIX  531 

MtJLLER,  Gerhard  T.  Voyages  from  Asia  to  America. 
1761  and  1764. 

NoRD,  Captaix  J.  G.     Letters  and  papers. 

PoRTLOCK,  Nathaniel.     Voyage  Around  the  World.     1789. 

Proceedings  of  the  Alaska  Boundary  Tribunal.  Seven 
volumes.     1904. 

ScHWATKA,  Frederick.  Along  Alaska's  Great  River.  1886. 
Lieutenant  Schwatka  voyaged  down  the  Yukon  on  rafts  in 
1883  and  wrote  an  interesting  book.  His  namings  were  un- 
fortunate, but  his  voyage  was  of  value,  and  many  of  his  sur- 
mises have  proven  to  be  almost  startlingly  correct. 

Scidmore,  Eliza  Ruhamah.  Guide-book  to  Alaska.  1893. 
Miss  Scidmore's  style  is  superior  to  that  of  any  other  writer  on 
Alaska. 

Seattle  Mail  and  Herald.     March  7,  1903. 

Seattle  Post-Intelligencer.     1906, 1907,  1908. 

Seattle  Times.     1908. 

Seward,  Frederick  W.  Inside  History  of  Alaska  Pur- 
chase.    Seward  Gateway.     March  17,  1906. 

Shaw,  W.  T.     Alaska- Yukon  Magazine.     October,  1907. 

Simpson,  Sir  George.     Journey  Around  the  World.     1847. 

Sumner,  Charles.  Oration  on  the  Cession  of  Russian 
America  to  the  United  States.     1867, 

TuTTLE,  C.  R.     The  Golden  North.     1897. 

Vancouver,  George.  Voyage  of  Discovery  to  the  North 
Pacific  Ocean.     Three  volumes.     1798. 


INDEX 


Abercrombie,  Captain,  266,  287,  288. 
Admiralty  Island,  107,  108. 
Afognak,  343-345. 
Agricultural     Experimental      Work, 

213-215. 
Alaska  Central  Railway,  298,  299. 
Alaskan  Range,  224. 
Alert  Bay,  16. 
Aleutian  Islands,  392,  393. 
Aleutian  Range,  224. 
Aleuts,  The,  395-401. 
Anderson  Island,  424. 
Annette  Island,  59-64. 
Anvik,  505. 
Aphoon,  The,  509. 
Apollo  Mine,  368. 

Aristocracy  of  Alaska,  The,  140,  141. 
Atlin,  441. 
Average  Tourist,  The,  11. 

B 

Baird  Glacier,  106. 

Baranoff,  Alexander,  163-185. 

Baranoff  Island,  149. 

Barren  Islands,  300. 

Basketry,  99-102. 

Beaver  Dam,  284,  285. 

Behm  Canal,  84. 

Behring,  Vitus,  153-161. 

Belkoffski,  376-382. 

Berner's  Bay,  133. 

Besborough  Island,  425. 

Bidarkas  and  Kayaks,  246. 

Bishop  of  All  Alaska,  The,  210-212. 

Boas,  Franz,  16. 

Bogosloff  Volcanoes,  411-413. 

Bonanza,  The,  254,  255. 

Boundaries,  37-49. 

Brackett  Road,  The,  430,  431. 

Brady  Glacier,  135. 


Brady,  Governor,  217,  349-350. 
Bristol  Bay,  301,  420-423. 
Brooks,  Alfred  H.,  497. 
Bruner  Railway  Company,  240. 
Brynteson,  John,  524. 
Burke  Channel,  23. 


Call  of  Alaska,  The,  19,  20. 
Campbell,  Robert,  459. 
Camp  Comfort,  276-278. 
Cape  Darby,  425,  514. 
Cape  Denbigh,  425,  514. 
Cape  Douglas,  300. 
Cape  Elizabeth,  300. 
Cape  Fanshaw,  106. 
Cape  Newenham,  423. 
Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  424. 
Cape  St.  Elias,  238. 
Cape  St.  Hermogenes,  320. 
Cape  Suckling,  23S. 
Caribou  Crossing,  441,  442. 
Carmack,  George,  473. 
Chatham  Strait,  134. 
Chena  River,  499. 
Chief  Kohklux,  141. 
Chief  Shakes,  90. 
Chief  Skowl,  68. 
Chignik,  366. 

Chilkaht  Blanket,  136,  140. 
Chilkaht  Inlet,  134. 
Chilkaht  River,  139. 
Chilkoot  Inlet,  136. 
Chilkoot  River,  140. 
Chirikoff,  Alexis,  153-161. 
Chiswell  Rocks,  300. 
Chitina  River,  244,  245. 
Cholmondeley  Sound,  68. 
Chugach  Alps,  224. 
Chugach  Gulf,  246,  251,  252. 
Chugatz  Islands,  300. 


533 


534 


INDEX 


Claim  Staking  in  the  Klondike,  484. 

Clarence  Strait,  85. 

Clerk's  Island,  426. 

Climate,  259-264. 

Cluster  of  Hops,  A,  129-131. 

Coal,  307-310. 

Coal  Harbor,  310. 

Cold  Bay,  365. 

Columbia  Glacier,  257-259. 

Commercial  Companies  of  the  North, 
477-479. 

Comptroller  Bay,  238. 

Convict  Settlement,  The,  230,  231. 

Cook,  James,  245-250,  423-426. 

Cook  Inlet,  299-307. 

Copper  Mines,  253-255,  453. 

Copper  River,  244,  245. 

Copper  River  and  Northwestern  Rail- 
way, 242-244. 

Council,  523. 

Croyere,  Lewis  de  Lisle  de,  154. 

Cudahy,  Fort,  488. 

D 

Dall,  William  H.,  97. 

Davidson  Glacier,  134,  139. 

Dawson,  464—485. 

Dawson,  George  M.,  462,  463. 

De  Fuca,  Juan,  4,  5. 

Dementief,    Abraham    Mikhailovich, 

155. 
Deshneff,  Simeon,  527. 
Devil's  Thumb,  105. 
Diomede  Islands,  424,  528. 
Discovery  Passage,  14—16. 
Disenchantment  Bay,  232,  233. 
Dixon  Entrance,  65. 
Dixon,  George,  228. 
Dcrra,  The,  370-374. 
Down  in  a  Great  Gold  Mine,  123-128. 
Dryad  Trouble,  The,  85,  86. 
Duncan,  William,  55-64. 
Dundas,  100-102. 
Dutch  Harbor,  393,  406-408. 


E 


Eagle,  488-490. 

Early  Oil  Companies,  240. 

East  Cape,  424. 


Egbert,  Fort,  488. 

ICgegak,  420. 

Ellamar,  253-256. 

Emmons,  G.  T.,  95,  385. 

Eskimo,  384-387,  421-426,  502,  518. 

Eskimo  Dog,  The,  486,  487. 


Fairbanks,  498-500. 

Fairweather  Range,  223,  224. 

Father  Juvenal,  327-332. 

Finlayson  Channel,  27. 

Fiords  of  British  Columbia,  24. 

First  Russian  Settlement,  326. 

Fitzhugh  Sound,  22,  23. 

Five-Finger  Rapids,  457. 

Fording  Glacial  Streams,  286-287. 

Forests  of  Alaska,  33-36. 

Fort  Rupert,  17. 

Fort  Wrangell,  85-92. 

Forty-Mile,  486. 

Eraser  Reach,  27. 

Eraser  River,  9. 

Frederick  Sound,  105. 

G 

Galiana  Island,  9,  17. 

Game  Laws,  312-317. 

Gardner  Canal,  30. 

Gastineau  Channel,  114. 

Gay  Life  at  Sitka,  175-185. 

Georgia,  Gulf  of,  9. 

Gibbon,  Fort,  496. 

Glacier  Bay  and  its  Glaciers,  219. 

Glottoff,  321-326. 

Golovin  Bay,  522. 

Gore's  Island,  426. 

Goryalya  Volcano,  301. 

Government  of  Alaska,  348-351. 

Government  of  the  Yukon,  472. 

Graham  Reach,  27. 

Grand  Canyon,  448-453. 

Great    Bonanza   Copper   Mine,    290- 

294. 
"Great  Unlighted  Way,"  The,  295- 

297. 
Greek-Russian  Church  at  Sitka,  193, 

194. 
Grenville  Channel,  27,  31-33. 


INDEX 


535 


H 

Hagemeister,  180,  181. 
Haidahs,  70. 
Haines  Mission,  142. 
Hanna,  James,  22. 
Hawkins  Island,  248. 
Heikish  Narrows,  27. 
Henderson,  Governor,  471. 
Heney,  M.  J.,  242,  427,  428. 
Hinchingbroke  Island,  248. 
Hoggatt,  Governor,  501,  505,  515. 
Holy  Cross  Mission,  505,  507. 
Homer,  311,  312. 
Hootalinqua  River,  89,  434. 
Howkan,  68. 
Hubbard  Glacier,  232. 
Hunt,  Wilson  P.,  176-178. 
"Husky,"  The,  486,  487. 


Icy  Cape,  424. 

Icy  Straits,  219. 

Iliamna  Lake,  301. 

Iliamna  Volcano,  300. 

Indian  River,  200,  201. 

Indians  of  Alaska,  69-84. 

In  Keystone  Canyon,  278-279. 

Inlets  of  British  Columbia,  12,  13. 

Innuit,  The,  385-387,  421-426. 


Japonski  Island,  152. 
Johnstone  Strait,  17. 
Juneau,  114-120. 

K 

Kachemak  Bay,  307. 

Kadiak  Island,  318-342. 

Kaknu  River,  300. 

Kamelinka,  or  Kamelayka,  246,  247. 

Karluk,  346-363. 

Karluk  Hatcheries,  358—363. 

Kasa-an,  68. 

Kassitoff,  300. 

Katalla,  240-245. 

Kayak,  238,  239. 

Kaye  Island,  238. 

Kenai  Range,  224. 

Kennicott  Glacier,  290-292. 


Ketchikan,  50-55. 
Klondike,  458-484. 
Knight's  Island,  248. 
Knik  River,  300. 
Kodiak,  334-338. 
Koloshians,  70,  167,  217. 
Koyukuk,  503. 
Krusenstern,  172-174. 
Kuskokwim  River,  420,  423. 
Kvichak  River,  420. 
Kwakiutl  Indians,  16. 
Kwikhpak,  The,  509. 


Labret,  The,  25-26,  228,  229. 

Lake  Bennett,  434-441. 

Lake  Clark,  301. 

Lake  Lebarge,  456,  457. 

Lake  Lindeman,  440. 

Lama  Pass,  23. 

La  P6rouse,  Jean  Frangois,  225-229. 

Last  Indian  Trouble  at  Sitka,   208— 

209. 
La  Touche  Island,  254. 
Lewes  River,  434. 
Lindblom,  Erik,  524. 
Lindeberg,  Jafet,  524. 
Lisiansky,  172-174. 
Lisiere,  or  "Thirty-Mile  Strip,"  45- 

49. 
"Little  Redbirds,"  The,  76-78. 
Lituya  Bay,  225-229. 
Loring,  66. 
"Lottie,"  512-513. 
Lowering  of  the  Russian  Flag,  206- 

208. 
Lower  Yukon,  501. 
Lynn  Canal,  132-134. 

M 

McKay  Reach,  27. 
Makushin  Volcano,  395. 
Malamutes,  486-487. 
Malaspina  Glacier,  235. 
Marmot  Island  and  Bay,  319. 
Marsh  Lake,  443. 
Mason,  Otis  T.,  95. 
Matanuska  River,  300. 
Meares,  John,  4,  5,  251. 
Mendenhall  Glacier,  132. 


536 


INDEX 


Metlakahtla,  55-64. 

Miles  Glacier,  244. 

Millbank  Sound,  26. 

Modus  Vivendi,  The,  48-49. 

Moira  Sound,  68. 

Montagu  Island,  248. 

Mount  Crillon,  225. 

Mount  Drum,  285. 

Mount  Edgecumbe,  149,  220. 

Mounted  Police,  472,  473. 

Mount  Fairweather,  225. 

Mount  La  P^rouse,  225. 

Mount  Lituva,  225. 

Mount  McKinley,  224,  297. 

Mount  Regal,  290. 

Mount  Wrangell,  290. 

Mr.  Whidbey  is  "humane,"  137-138. 

Muir  Glacier,  219. 

Miiller,  Gerhard  T.,  154. 

N 

Naha  Bay,  66. 

Naknek  River,  420. 

Needs  of  the  Natives,  382-389. 

Niblack  Anchorage,  68. 

Nizina  District,  288. 

Nome,  514-528. 

Norton  Sound,  424,  425. 

Nulato,  504. 

"Number     Eight,     Cooper     Gulch," 

520-522. 
Nushagak  Bay,  420,  421. 
Nutchek,  or  Port  Etches,  247, 

O 

Ogilvie,  William,  462,  463. 

Oomiak,  246. 

Orca,  247. 

Over  "the  Trail,"  271-294. 


Pedro,  Felix,  497. 
Peril  Strait,  150. 
Pinnacle  Island,  426. 
Popoff,  367,  527. 
"Potlatch,"  The,  81-82. 
Pribyloff  Islands,  414-420. 
Prince  of  Wales  Island,  68. 
Prince  William  Sound,  245-252. 


"Promyshleniki,"  162-164. 
Purchase  of  Alaska,  185-188. 
Pyramid  Harbor,  139. 

Q 
Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  18. 

R 

Railway  Wars,  243,  244. 
Ramparts,  Lower,  494-496. 
Ramparts,  Upper,  457. 
Reindeer,  504-505. 
Revilla-Gigedo  Island,  65. 
Ridley,  Bishop,  58-59. 
Rink  Rapids,  457. 
Rowe,  Bishop,  210-212. 
Russian-American     Company,     165- 

185. 
Russian  Discoveries,  153-161. 
Russians  on  Cook  Inlet,  304-307. 


Safety  Cove,  or  "Oatsoalis,"  22. 

Sailing  for  Alaska,  3. 

St.  Augustine  Volcano,  300. 

St.  Elias  Alps,  224. 

St.  Lawrence  Island,  154,  514. 

St.  Michael's,  426,  458,  509-514. 

Salmon  Industrv,  The,  420-423. 

Sand  Point,  374-375. 

San  Juan  Island,  6. 

"Sarah,  The  Remembered,"  27-29. 

Schafer,  Professor,  41. 

Seaforth  Channel,  23. 

Sealing  Industry,  414-419. 

Sea-otter,  377-380. 

Seldovia,  302,  303. 

Selkirk,  Fort,  459. 

Semidi  Islands,  341. 

Seward,  297-299. 

Seward  Peninsula,  515-.528. 

Seward,  William  H.,  186-188. 

Sevmour  Narrows,  15. 

Shelikoff,  Grigor  Ivanovich,  163-165. 

Shishaldin  Volcano,  2,  31,  390-392. 

Simpson,  Sir  George,  56,  86,  195-197. 

Sitka,  167-217. 

Skaguay,  143-148. 

"Skookum  Jim,"  473. 


I 


INDEX 


537 


Skowl  Arm,  68. 

Sledge  Island,  424. 

Sluicing,  521-522. 

Snettishani  Inlet,  109. 

"Soapy"  Smith,  145-146. 

Solomon,  522. 

Spanberg,  Martin  Petrovich,  153-161. 

Steller,  Georg  Wilhelm,  154. 

Stephens'  Passage,  107. 

Stikine  River,  85. 

"Strait  of  Anian,"  The,  4. 

Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  4. 

Stuart  Island,  426. 

Sumdum  Glacier,  107. 

Sumner,  Charles,  187,  188. 

Sumner  Strait,  103-105. 

Sweetheart  Falls,  109. 


"Tagish  Charlie,"  473. 
Tagish  Lake,  442. 
Taku  Glacier,  109. 
Tanana,  496. 
Thirtv-Mile  River,  457. 
Thlinkits,  The,  70-84. 
Three  Saints  Bay,  326,  333. 
Thunder  Bay  Glacier,  106. 
Tin,  523. 
Topkuk,  522. 
Totemism,  69-81. 
"To  Westward,"  3,  220-224. 
"Trail  of  Heartbreak,"  431. 
Trails  and  Roads,  284,  285. 
Treadwell,  121-128. 
Twelve-Mile  Arm,  68. 

U 

Ugashik  River,  420. 
Ukase  of  1821,  The,  37. 
Unalaska,  393-410. 
Unga,  367. 
Uphoon,  The,  509. 
Uyak,  364,  365. 


Valdez,  265-270. 

Vancouver,  George,  21,  25,  135, 
305. 

Vancouver  Island,  9-17. 

Veniaminoff,  189,  195,  398-401. 

Voskressenski,  or  "Sunday,"  Har- 
bor, 164. 

W 

Walrus  Herds,  424. 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Company, 

460. 
Whidbey,  Lieutenant,    30,    135-138, 

305. 
White  Horse,  444-454. 
White  Horse  Rapids,  451. 
White  Pass  and  Yukon  Railway,  427— 

443. 
White  Sulphur  Springs,  212-213. 
Wingham  Island,  238. 
Wood  Canyon,  245. 
Wood  Island,  338-341. 
Wood  River,  420,  423. 
Wrangell  Narrows,  103-104. 
Wright  Sound,  30. 


Yakataga,  237. 

Yakutat  Bay,  229-236. 

Yakutats,  The,  83. 

Yanovskv,  180-181. 

Yehl,  77-78. 

Yukon  Flats,  492-494,  508. 

Yukon,  Fort,  491. 

Yukon  River,  459,  485,  492,  508-509. 

Yukon  Soda,  446,  447. 


Zarembo  Island,  103. 
Zarembo,  Lieutenant,  85-86. 


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With  forty-eight  full-page  plates  and  vignettes  in  the  text  from  photo- 
graphs. 

Each  in  decorated  cloth,  rounded  corners,  $2.00  net 


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THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

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